The last movie at the Saddle West Hotel and Casino aired at 6:30 p.m. Thursday with the showing of "Where The Wild Things Are."

It ends a 14-month run during which the banquet room, used for bingo games by day, was partially converted into a theater at night. The Saddle West debuted movies at 11 p.m. on Aug. 29, 2008 with "Babylon A.D.," starring Vin Diesel.

"For now the theater will be dark. We are looking at other options for using the showroom," said Saddle West Marketing Manager Christine Grevich.

In the history of the theater, there were sellouts on only two weekends, one of them for the showing of a Harry Potter movie earlier this year.

Anthony Marnell III, chairman and chief executive officer of Marnell-Sher Gaming, announced the offering of movies in the banquet room at the Saddle West in June 2008, which was to be followed by construction of a four-plex theater.

Two days later, Golden Gaming Inc. held a formal press conference to announce the building of an addition to the nearby Pahrump Nugget Hotel and Gambling Hall that would include an eight-plex movie theater, a children's arcade and additional gaming area. Golden Gaming planned to start construction after Labor Day 2008.

But neither addition was constructed at a time when the economy began a downturn.

Marnell said his company wanted to offer a theater experience to Pahrump residents that was affordable. Ticket prices were $8.25 with a discounted price of $6.50 for seniors 55 and over or children under 10.

The Saddle West cut back its schedule from twice-daily screenings on weekdays and three times a day on Saturdays and Sundays, to one daily movie on Oct. 19.

The Saddle West theater opening ended a seven-year span without a movie theater in Pahrump, since California businessman Zahid Sadiq closed the Pahrump Theaters on Calvada Boulevard on April 26, 2001. The only exception was occasional screenings of movies at local parks by Rod Fox, owner of Milestone Entertainment, using a 40-foot, inflatable movie screen.

A sign advertised the location of an eight-plex movie theater to be operated by Brendan Theatres at Terrible's Town Casino for years. Those plans also have not materialized.