Science Center of Iowa Will Close Imax Theatre for Good

My first and only experience in an IMAX theatre was when my parents took my sister and me to the Science Center in Des Moines. I couldn't tell you the exact age I was when we went, but I remember being completely shook at how big the screen was. Little Eliot could hardly comprehend it all.

Unfortunately, children across Iowa will no longer be able to replicate the fond memories that I and many others experienced at the IMAX theatre in the Science Center of Iowa.

As reported by KCCI, the theatre will not be reopening after experiencing significant water damage from floods that hit Des Moines in 2018. The article states that "Water leaked into the building, damaging the roof, projector, screen and their collection of IMAX films."

This is what the Science Center's website has had on its IMAX theatre page for quite some time: "The Blank IMAX Dome Theater sustained significant damage during storms in June 2018. Since then, we have mitigated the water damage and are working to reach an insurance resolution and move forward. (Unfortunately, it's been a slow process.) Thank you for your understanding and continued support."

Curt Simmons, President of the Science Center, said the millions it would cost to fix all the issues just isn't worth it, as seeing films in an IMAX theatre has lost its novelty. This is what he told the Des Moines news station:

In the movie industry, more and more theatres have gone to high fidelity digital, so the uniqueness of the IMAX brand isn't quite as strong as it used to be.

The Science Center does have plans to repurpose the area where the theatre used to be, and those plans will be announced soon.