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Signature Theatres is holding talks with the owner of the Windward Mall for a multiplex theater at the Kaneohe shopping center.

Signature, which operates theater complexes at the Pearl Highlands Center and Dole Cannery, recently met with officials with the Pauahi Management Co. to discuss contract language and lease terms for a Windward Mall location, a person close to the discussions said.

The proposed theaters, which would be located at the site formerly occupied by J.C. Penney, could offer as many as 10 screens but that is still a subject of negotiations.

An agreement could be reached within the next two months but would require board and management approval from Pauahi Management's parent company, the Kamehameha Schools, the source said.

Phil Harris, Signature's president, was on vacation and could not be reached for comment. Joe Cuculich, a company's vice president, did not return calls.

A spokesman for the Kamehameha Schools had no immediate comment.

Plans for a theater for the Windward Mall have been on the drawing board for about a decade in an effort to add an entertainment aspect to the Kaneohe shopping center. But tenant objections, site availability and sluggish market conditions have stalled previous attempts.

Earlier this year, Pauahi Management selected Signatures' competitor, Consolidated Amusement Co., to build a 10-plex for the Windward Mall but the company backed out last month, saying the shell built for the theaters was not large enough.

Consolidated operates a 10-screen theater complex at the nearby Temple Valley Shopping Center in Kaneohe.

Hawaii's movie theater business has been expanding rapidly in recent years.