Merle Hay Mall Cinema
3800 Merle Hay Road,
Des Moines,
IA
50310
3800 Merle Hay Road,
Des Moines,
IA
50310
1 person
favorited this theater
The Merle Hay Plaza Theater changed its name to the Merle Hay Mall Cinema a few years ago and still has the largest screen in Des Moines.
Contributed by
Mike Geater
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Recent comments (view all 9 comments)
This theatre was one of three built on the same interior floor plan by ABC/TriStates Theatres. (The other two were the Plaza/Cedar Rapids, IA and the Parkway, Moline IL. The three were designed by Henry George Greene of ABC Theatres.) All featured rocking chair seating, large screens complete with drapes, and 70mm Projection. Because of their basic floor plan, all were extremely efficient to operate. I managed each of the three for varying periods of time. I call these theatres and others like them as the “second generation” of movie palaces.
A properly big screen, bigger sound, reasonable ticket/concession prices, and a seating capacity not prone to sellouts! Absolutely the best place in town for big-screen action epics (King Kong, Lord of the Rings, Revenge of the Sith, etc).
I just caught an afternoon matinee screening of Watchmen in this theater, and I was really impressed. I’m an avid home theater fan, and have pretty high expectations for the presentations I watch. Because of that, I rarely have the inclination to go sit in a modern “stadium-style” cineplex theater – and haven’t in several years. Wow, was I blown away! Awesome screen, excellent sound, and really top-notch experience. I was even surprised with the very fair and reasonable ticket and concession prices.
If all theaters were like this, I probably would have never built a home theater in my basement. OK, there’s still the “babysitter problem”, but the theater is great.
Two thumbs up for Merle Hay Mall Cinema!
It goes to show you that if you give the public a theatre that they want and it is well maintained even if it is a single screen, they will go. Here is a website for the Merle Hal Mall Cinema, http://merlehaymall.com/cinema_info.htm
Before it “officially” re-opened in the fall of 1993, they had special screening on the four weekends leading up to to the grand re-opening to test the new sound systems. They showed The Empire Stirkes Back, Raiders Of The Lost Ark, Top Gun and Days Of Thunder. Also they will occasionally show limited-run (one week) revival screenings in the spring and fall between tentpole season. One of those was Lawrence Of Arabia and I got to see it in all of it’s 70mm glory.
And yes, it is still the biggest regular theater screen in Des Moines. The only one larger is the IMAX Dome that opened downtown a few years ago.
The Merle Hay Mall Cinema was formerly the “Plaza Theatre” – when it opened c. 1967.
Website changed to http://www.merlehaymallcinema.com/
Described in this 1967 trade article: Boxoffice
This opened as Plaza on January 28th, 1966. I uploaded it’s grand opening ad in the photo section.