Last Picture House theater will be ‘a real gem’ for Davenport

Get your drinks and popcorn. The show is about to begin. That’s the hope of two Quad Cities filmmakers who plan to bring a movie theater/bar/social gathering place — that will be called The Last Picture House — to downtown Davenport. If all goes according to plan, The Last Picture House will likely open next […]

Get your drinks and popcorn. The show is about to begin. That’s the hope of two Quad Cities filmmakers who plan to bring a movie theater/bar/social gathering place — that will be called The Last Picture House — to downtown Davenport.

If all goes according to plan, The Last Picture House will likely open next summer after a major renovation of what now is a vacant building at 325 E. Second St. (There are no plans for any major demolition at the building, but work crews already were on site in late October to begin interior renovations of the 8,700-square-foot building.) The new theater is expected to include a two-screen theater, rooftop bar and social lounge. “It’s a phenomenal project and will serve as a core amenity drawing new people downtown.  East Second Street is already looking great, and this will be a real gem,” said Kyle Carter, executive director of the Downtown Davenport Partnership (DDP). The theater is the passion project of filmmakers Scott Beck and Bryan Woods, both Bettendorf High School graduates. They co-wrote the 2018 smash hit horror film “A Quiet Place” and are currently working on the sci-fi thriller “65” that will star Academy Award nominee Adam Driver.

“We had always dreamed of opening a movie theater that has a wide array of programming, combined with more community-focused events, social spaces, one-of-a-kind film art, and special guests that you would never anticipate in Davenport,” Mr. Beck told the QCBJ in an email. “We felt there was something more that could happen with the film culture in the Quad Cities. Most cinema experiences are quite transactional — you park, buy popcorn, watch the film, then leave.”  The two filmmakers are getting inspiration for their new project from other theaters around the world. Mr. Beck added that they have been lucky enough to travel around the world and have been inspired by world-class movie theaters that had built a cinema culture through their amenities and film programming. “Places like the Alamo Drafthouse (in Austin, Texas) or BFI Southbank (in London, England) are fully focused on offering their audiences an experience to see first-run movies, cult films, classics, foreign films, running alongside special Q&As, with venues that feature incredible movie art and a peek behind the scenes of the film industry. As Quad Cities natives, we felt like there was an opportunity to expand those ideas into the area, and thus The Last Picture House was born,” he said.

The Davenport project has been in the planning stages for years but Mr. Beck said it inched forward in 2019 when they met local businessmen Jens Baker and Pete Stopulos. “They had recently acquired a building at 325 East Second Street, which we all felt had great bones to house the movie theater concept. Since then, we formed the business model and have worked with Twin Shores and Paradigm Design to bring the idea to life,” he added. Mr. Stopulos, a Realtor/investor at NAI Ruhl Commercial Co. and a partner in the movie theater project, told the QCBJ that he is excited about the theater development and looks forward to its completion.  However, he also is frustrated by the ongoing supply chain issues that may delay the opening of The Last Picture House. He added that in a “perfect world,” the theater could open in April, but the opening will likely happen next summer due to the delays in getting needed materials and equipment for the project. “It’s insanity. We’ve never faced anything like this,” he said, adding that some equipment is taking up to 45 weeks to arrive. Plans for The Last Picture House got a financial boost this fall when the project was selected to receive a grant under the Destination Iowa program through the Iowa Economic Development Authority. The theater project received $600,000 in state funding. In the past few weeks, much of the community has learned about the movie house project, generating an “incredible response” to the project, Mr. Beck said. “There’s a genuine excitement for the venue and the amenities we’ll offer, and I think we’re all excited to further expand the thriving downtown Davenport corridor. Additionally, we’ve heard from so many of our acquaintances in the film industry, some of which are household names, who are excited to visit Davenport and The Last Picture House,” he added.