Compton city officials have moved to address the lack of a movie theater there by proposing the construction of a 14-screen, 60,000-square-foot cinema, the Los Angeles Times reported Friday.

The move was partly prompted by local frustration that any residents wanting to see last year’s hit movie about their hometown, “Straight Outta Compton,” had to leave Compton to do so.

Maya Cinemas, a Los Angeles company specializing in theaters in predominantly Latino communities, would finance, build and operate the multiplex, according to city officials forwarding the proposal.

If it is built, the theater would be the first in decades to stand within the city limits of Compton, the population of which is mostly Latino and black.

Historically, Compton, which suffers from high unemployment, and communities like it have long been a blind spot for the major theater chains. Patrick Corcoran, spokesman for the National Assn. of Theatre Owners, said that could change as companies respond to an increasingly diverse moviegoing public.

“As our audience demographics shift and grow, I think you will see more builds in underserved areas,” Corcoran said. “Each individual company will make its own decision about where and when to open a theater.”