Veronique Fernandez is a big fan of The Last Picture House in downtown Davenport.
The Bettendorf woman, who is an avid movie fan, said the Quad Cities “won the lottery” when the movie theater/cocktail lounge/meeting place opened last year.
“The first time I entered the theater I was blown away by the upscale decor and movie memorabilia. We didn’t end up seeing a movie, but instead enjoyed the phenomenal artisan cocktails. You can relax in the front lounge and watch the bartenders squeezing boxes of fresh fruit while enjoying the movies the bar plays on its large TVs,” she said.
Since The Last Picture House opened in late 2023, it has been attracting many patrons like Ms. Fernandez who love the looks, sounds and atmosphere of the movie theater business.
The boutique cinema and cocktail lounge, located at 325 E. Second St., has become so important to Davenport’s downtown district that it has been called the “crown jewel” of the area, according to Kyle Carter, executive director of the Downtown Davenport Partnership, an affiliate of the Quad Cities Chamber of Commerce.
“The arrival of The Last Picture House fundamentally changes the dynamics of East Second Street and ‘Motor Row,’ bringing new visitors every day of the week in both day and evening hours. Almost overnight, it became a cornerstone cultural and entertainment asset for the Quad Cities, let alone downtown Davenport. It’s truly a crown jewel for our community we should all be proud to brag about,” added Mr. Carter.
All this praise from economic leaders and movie fans has been coming in for a bit over a year. The Last Picture House opened for business in November 2023. Its grand opening and ribbon-cutting events were held on Dec. 9 that year.
The business is home to two state-of-the-art studios, a cocktail lounge, a collection of rare film art and props, a lot of movie posters, and a seasonal rooftop bar and outdoor screening space overlooking the historic Government Bridge, Mississippi River and downtown’s Motor Row District. It is owned by filmmakers and Bettendorf natives Scott Beck and Bryan Woods, who are writers and creators of the hit movie “A Quiet Place.” (For more information about the filmmakers, visit here.)
When The Last Picture House opened in the 8,700-square-foot renovated downtown building, Mr. Beck called it a “surreal, beautiful dream come true.” An important aspect of that dream was to provide movie fans with a relatively small, cozy experience. (“The Last Picture House was founded on the concept that the movie-going experience is best when shared,” according to the business website.)
Mr. Beck was asked recently by the Quad Cities Regional Business Journal to look back on the first year of The Last Picture House. He discussed the lessons learned in the first year, possible changes to the business and advice for other people considering starting a business. Some of the questions and his comments include:
How has the first year gone for The Last Picture House?
“In the first year, our expectations have been surpassed on every level. The Quad Cities has embraced The Last Picture House with an incredible amount of excitement and love, and we’re grateful to have seen continual growth, both from the community’s enthusiasm, but also from a pure business perspective.
“In this last year alone, The Last Picture House has screened over 160 films for audiences, and we have seen so many new faces come through the doors to experience what we have to offer. Our summer rooftop series was even more explosive than we anticipated, and we feel fortunate that we sold out nearly every single one of our 68 screenings this year, and in some cases, had to add extra showtimes to accommodate the demand.
“One of our other goals was to bring a bit of Hollywood to the Quad Cities, in order to link the two for anyone interested in filmmaking or a career in the arts, and we’ve been graced with special guests like director Andrew Davis (“The Fugitive”), costumer designer Betsy Heimann (“Pulp Fiction”), actress Chloe East (“The Fabelmans”), author Rachel Yoder (“Nightbitch”), Greg Sestero (“The Room”), and even had writer/director Michael Sarnoski (“Pig”) fly out on opening weekend of his film “A Quiet Place: Day One.” Other times we’ve received personal video intros from the likes of Chris Pine, Cary Elwes, filmmaker Greg Kwedar, and many more. All of these guests have expressed so much love for The Last Picture House, and the cinema’s mission to provide a world-class theater experience to this special community in the Quad Cities. Even Hugh Grant, the star of our new film “HERETIC”, mentioned how much he’d like The Last Picture House to open up in London.
“We’d be lying if we said this was our expectation a year ago. While we approached the project with a logical head and a sense of how the business might be perceived, there are a lot of unknowns when you open an independent movie theater in 2024. Given the landscape of media consumption in 2024, movie theaters are competing with many different forms of entertainment, including competition from streaming platforms and habits of staying home to watch movies. But for those who venture back out to theaters, we think they find the experience to be incredibly more satisfying than staying home on your couch. Especially if you see something in our large auditorium, which has Dolby Atmos surround sound, unlike any theater in the region; audiences have been loving that theater. We have somewhere north of 30 speakers, and the experience is unparalleled.”
Any changes in the works for the business?
“We’re continually speaking with various filmmakers, some of which are our childhood heroes, about coming to The Last Picture House in 2025, so we aim to bring out even more special guests. We’ve also had such a strong audience response to fun comedic events like the Found Footage Festival, “The Rocky Horror Picture Show,” and “The Room,” so we want to find more space in our calendar for shows like those. Beyond that, we want to start our 35mm film series to project movies on actual celluloid, and we want to continue finding ways to collaborate with local organizations and spark conversations between film and their interests.”
What is the biggest surprise you have faced this past year as it relates to The Last Picture House?
“We were pleasantly surprised to see the immense excitement for our summer rooftop series, and how quickly many of the shows sold out. And as cinephiles, we were equally elated to see how some of our more obscure one-off film programs, like Jacques Tati’s 1967 comedy “Playtime,” found a huge audience. This was also our first time collaborating with Alternating Currents (Downtown QC event), where we were able to show local films, host rooftop panels and music performances, and we were overwhelmed by how many people came through the door.”
Looking back on this first year, are there any different decisions you would have made?
“We’re still learning something new every month. Our biggest hurdle is communicating what The Last Picture House has to offer, as we’re a movie theater that has two indoor screens but we also have a rooftop screen in the summer months. We show new releases, but we also show old films. We also have a cocktail and mocktail lounge, but we’re always open to all ages, so families are welcomed at all hours. Our business model has a lot of variables to communicate, but the truth is, The Last Picture House has something for everyone, every single month.”
What advice do you have for other people who might want to open a movie theater?
“Understand your community and the movies they want to see. Don’t skimp on a good sound system. Go into the business knowing that the movie release calendar is constantly changing, and sometimes the small releases hit big, and the big releases fall flat. Hire great people, as we’re so lucky to have a wonderful staff that cares so much about the audience and movies. And get as much sleep as you can whenever you can, because operating a movie theater will keep you up at all hours of the day.”
‘It is state of the art’
Many local movie fans and economic development officials have their own advice when it comes to The Last Picture House: keep up the good work, because they love the place.
“From a business perspective, it’s boosted foot traffic for adjacent retailers and restaurants. But my favorite comments always come from out-of-town visitors simply stunned not just by the quality of their experience at LPH, but by its very existence. New independent movie theaters showing first-run blockbusters and classic favorites alike are extremely rare,” said Mr. Carter.
For movie fans, like Ms. Fernandez, it’s just great to have a quality place to see a movie. She said her first movie experience at The Last Picture House went like this: “ I grabbed a glass of Chardonnay and marched up the stairs to enjoy the Bob Marley movie. The theater spared no expense on the sound system; it is state of the art.”
“I am so excited to have this gem in town. The location, the staff, the menu, the decor, everything they have done is top notch. If theaters could win Oscars, this place surely would win,” she added.
