A dream come true: Hollywood filmmakers open Davenport Cinema
What started as a dream for two friends who grew up in the Quad Cities more than 25 years ago became a reality this weekend. On December 9, directors Scott Peck and Brian Woods are set to welcome audiences to the grand opening of The Last Picture House, their new movie and cocktail lounge.
“Brian and I probably started dreaming of building a movie theater ever since we were kids,” Beck recalls. “I mean, we’ve known each other since we were 12 years old. We grew up in Bettendorf, Iowa, and we started making movies together. And here he is, you know, finally manifesting himself.”
Located along the Mississippi River in Davenport’s Motor Row district, The Last Picture House offers audiences a movie-going experience, as well as a place to gather with mates in the bar and lounge area.
The theater is equipped with two screens; The larger houses 150 seats. The other has a capacity of 48 people. There is also a rooftop bar and outdoor viewing space for seasonal use, which will accommodate an estimated 80 to 90 guests.
As a movie fan, Woods said offering a variety of films for all ages and tastes is a top priority. While they are perhaps best known for their work as screenwriters on the 2018 horror film A quiet place and most recently as directors of the sci-fi thriller 65The duo’s filmmaking influences are wide and deep.
“Our love for cinema knows no bounds,” Woods explained. “We are experts in the great comedies of Adam Sandler as much as we love François Truffaut and the French New Wave movement. So we love everything, and we hope that this theater will be an expression of our passion and love for cinema.”
Grand opening weekend
In addition to screenings of revivals of classics and blockbusters, audiences can expect to see major new releases, including independent and international films that may not be available in the Quad Cities.
“We want to make sure we’re bringing some really new and excellent films to people to see that they might not be able to see in theaters,” Woods said.
One of these movies is Iron claw, the new professional wrestling drama from Studio A24. Beck and Woods recently announced that Iowa audiences will have the opportunity to see the film weeks before its nationwide release during its theatrical opening weekend on Saturday, December 9.
Anyone interested in securing tickets for advanced screening should sign up for their Autograph Club membership to get early access, Beck said.
Early reactions
Since its soft opening on November 20, some eager moviegoers have already gotten a taste of what The Last Picture House has to offer.
“A lot of people showed up,” Woods said. “We didn’t even know anyone knew about this theater yet. And seeing their faces as they come here makes all the hard work worth it.”
Beck and Woods paid homage to one of their favorite films — and their theater’s namesake — by kicking off their soft launch with a special screening of Show last image, the classic 1971 coming-of-age film starring a young Cybill Shepherd and Jeff Bridges. Directed by the late Peter Bogdanovich, part of the story concerns a locally owned movie theater in a small Texas community.
Beck said the response to the show was exactly what they had hoped for.
“We had a packed house for this movie, and it was at 3:30 in the afternoon, believe it or not, on a Monday,” Peck said. “The reaction in the audience was that people were glued to the screen. They sat through the entire credits. They clapped. That put a smile on our faces.”
Honoring Hollywood history
As Iowa natives, Beck and Woods felt it was important to pay tribute to the state’s many Hollywood connections, including one in Show last image. This film featured Des Moines-born actress Cloris Leachman, who received an Academy Award for her performance.
Actresses Donna Reed of Denison and Jean Seberg of Marshalltown have a theater hall named after them. Reed starred alongside Jimmy Stewart in the holiday classic It’s a wonderful lifeWhile Seberg is best known for her role in the famous French New Wave film gasped.
“We’re very passionate about the history that lives on here in Davenport and in Iowa — and finding small ways we can bring that back to life,” Beck said.
Beck and Woods have also found ways to make Hollywood history accessible by displaying rare film art, props and posters throughout the theater. The Last Picture House is, in part, a museum housing many of the artifacts they have collected over the years, Woods said.
“We have French posters for films like King of comedy, a Scorsese classic. Of course, we have Field of dreams “We have to do it, as Iowans,” Woods said. “It runs the gamut of Wizard of Oz And some Douglas Sirk films. It’s a growing collection, and we’ll also have pieces on loan, so we hope to swap and remove different artworks.
Memorabilia associated with films made by Peck and Woods will also be on display, including the costume worn by Adam Driver in their most recent film, 65.
Project assets
Although opening their own movie theater was a childhood dream, Beck said he and Woods didn’t seriously start developing a plan until about four years ago.
“We were walking around downtown Davenport, where we used to shoot our old student films, and we saw an old building on the corner of historic Motor Row and felt like this could be the perfect place to build a movie theater,” Beck noted.
According to Beck, there were many challenges involved in developing the theatre.
“We took over the building, which was built in 1895 and had a former life as a marine sales place where they sold boats and auto mechanics. It was nothing more than a movie theater,” Beck said. “But we saw the potential there, and we’re kind of pushing ourselves. “
Besides Beck and Woods, the theater’s ownership team includes Pete Stopoulos, Jens Becker, Julia Glossy and Christy Beck.
For Stopulos, co-owning The Last Picture House means more than just running a movie theater.
“This is beyond just a passion project for me. It is a tribute to my grandfather, Jim Stopolos, who created unique cinematic experiences in the Quad Cities area for nearly 25 years,” Stopolos said in a press release.
The theater’s general manager, Jameson Ritter, said he hopes The Last Picture House will serve as a hub for film fans and the local arts scene as a whole.
“Movie theaters are an extremely vital part of the fabric of society in showcasing art and entertainment in various capacities,” Ritter said. “There’s a really great corridor here of companies that are passionate about amplifying and appreciating the arts, and we want to be one of those.”
Managers day after day
Although they have returned to the Quad Cities to run their own independent cinema, Beck and Woods have no intention of slowing down in their work as filmmakers. The directing duo says they plan to divide their time between filmmaking and screening.
“Our daily mission is to be filmmakers,” Beck said. “But for us, it’s like icing on the cake to help, along with the amazing team we have at The Last Picture House, in really overseeing the experience that we’re trying to curate.”
Their latest projects, Heretic, recently entered post-production. The upcoming thriller, written and directed by Peck and Woods, stars Hugh Grant and will be distributed by A24.
