Alamo Drafthouse Cinema planned for downtown Des Moines skyscraper complex

Linh Ta
The Des Moines Register

Alamo Drafthouse Cinema, a popular movie theater chain known for its in-house restaurants and bars, is in negotiations to be part of a downtown Des Moines complex that will include the city's next skyscraper, developer Justin Mandelbaum said Friday.

The space in the three-building complex bordering Fifth and Walnut Streets and Court Avenue, known as The Fifth, would be Texas-based Alamo's first Iowa location. The rapidly growing company has nearly 50 locations across the country, with the closest in Omaha, Nebraska.

“It’s different from any other company in the movie industry,” said Mandelbaum. “They’ve mastered the concept of dine-in movies.”

Alamo did not respond to a request for comment.

On Friday, the Iowa Economic Development Authority Board approved an $800,000 tax credit from its Redevelopment Tax Credit Program for the $30 million, five-story building facing Court Avenue that would house the theater.

A rendering of Alamo Drafthouse Cinema at The Fifth in downtown Des Moines.

The $170 million Mandelbaum Properties development also includes a parking garage — already under construction — and a 39-story tower with a hotel and apartments.

Mandelbaum said the structure that would house Alamo was designed to have the cinema as its anchor tenant. Its floor plan calls for an eight-screen movie theater with reclining seats and a ground-floor restaurant and bar. It would have other retail space at street level and two floors of commercial space above the theater.

Mandelbaum said he aims to make The Fifth an arts-focused development, and having Alamo as a tenant would fit that goal. The complex's other major tenant would be the 21C Museum Hotel, part of a chain that incorporates a contemporary art museum into each of its properties. 

A rendering of Alamo Drafthouse Cinema at The Fifth in downtown Des Moines.

What is Alamo Drafthouse Cinema?

Founded in 1997, Alamo Drafthouse Cinema is based in Austin, Texas. It now has, or is planning, nearly 50 locations locations across the country, according to its website.

The cinemas offer a wide range of foods and drinks, ranging from Korean-inspired Gochujang wings to different flavors of Moscow mules, according to the company's website. A "bottomless" bowl of popcorn also is available.

In the Des Moines-area, Flix Brewhouse at Merle Hay Mall already provides a similar dine-in style experience.

A rendering of Alamo Drafthouse Cinema at The Fifth in downtown Des Moines.

Beyond food and drink offerings, Alamo Drafthouse Cinema is also known for its strict rules. There is a zero-tolerance policy for talking or cell phone use during films, and no one under 18 is admitted without an accompanying adult. Babies and small children are allowed only during special daytime screenings.

Instead of playing ads prior to a film, the theater shows its own short "custom" film that often is related to the movie that's being shown. There also are 35 mm projectors so the theaters can show older films.

A rendering of Alamo Drafthouse Cinema at The Fifth in downtown Des Moines.

Theaters that offer a twist on the traditional night-at-the-movies experience are part of a growing trend that is capturing a younger audience, Patrick Corcoran, vice president and chief communications officer of the National Association of Theatre Owners, told USA Today in 2016.