Special Events
Pillion
- Today, Mar 10
- Thu, Mar 12
- Fri, Mar 13
- Sat, Mar 14
- Tue, Mar 17
- Wed, Mar 18
Director: Harry Lighton Run Time: 107 min. Release Year: 2025
Starring: Alexander Skarsgård, Douglas Hodge, Harry Melling, Jake Shears, Lesley Sharp
Colin, a timid gay man, is swept off his feet when Ray, an enigmatic and impossibly handsome biker,...
EPiC: Elvis Presley in Concert
- Fri, Mar 13
- Sun, Mar 15
- Tue, Mar 17
Director: Baz Luhrmann Run Time: 98 min. Release Year: 2026
Starring: Bono, Cary Grant, Elvis Presley, Sammy Davis Jr., Tom Parker
Elvis sings and tells his story like never before.
A Red Carpet Affair 2026
- Sun, Mar 15
Run Time: 240 min.
About the Event Join us for a one-of-a-kind celebration of film’s biggest night. We are transforming Varsity Cinema...
Untitled Home Invasion Romance w/ Screenwriter Q&A
- Wed, Mar 18
Wed, Mar 18 @ 7:00 pm: Q&A with Des Moines based screenwriter Josh Johnson.
Director: Jason Biggs Run Time: 85 min. Release Year: 2026
Starring: Anna Konkle, Arturo Castro, Jason Biggs, Justin H. Min, Meaghan Rath
Join us after the film for a Q&A with Des Moines based screenwriter Josh Johnson. As a last-ditch...
The Metropolitan Opera: Tristan und Isolde – Presented with the Des Moines Metro Opera
- Sat, Mar 21
Director: Yannick Nézet-Séguin Run Time: 312 min. Release Year: 2026 Language: German
The electrifying Lise Davidsen tackles one of the ultimate roles for dramatic soprano: the Irish princess Isolde in...
Preconceived
- Tue, Mar 24
Director: Kate Dumke, Sabrine Keane Run Time: 80 min. Release Year: 2024
Starring: Angela Dwyer, Brandi Swindell, Kathaleen Pittman, Maleeha, Maria
Presented by Family Planning Council of Iowa. Where does someone turn when facing an unplanned pregnancy? Preconceived tells...
Science on Screen: Project Hail Mary
- Wed, Mar 25
Director: Christopher Miller, Phil Lord Run Time: 156 min. Release Year: 2026
Starring: Ken Leung, Lionel Boyce, Milana Vayntrub, Ryan Gosling, Sandra Hüller
Believe in the Hail Mary.
Pieces
- Thu, Mar 26
Director: Juan Piquer Simón Run Time: 85 min. Release Year: 1982 Language: Spanish
Starring: Christopher George, Edmund Purdom, Frank Braña, Ian Sera, Lynda Day George
You don't have to go to Texas for a chainsaw massacre!
The Music Man w/ Panel Conversation
- Sun, Mar 29
Director: Morton DaCosta Run Time: 151 min. Release Year: 1962
Starring: Buddy Hackett, Hermione Gingold, Robert Preston, Ron Howard, Shirley Jones
The story of that man and his 76 trombones, and the wonderful, wonderful tune he played on every heart in town!
Movie Bash: Best in Show with Audience Interaction
- Tue, Mar 31
Director: Christopher Guest Run Time: 90 min. Release Year: 2000
Starring: Bob Balaban, Christopher Guest, Jennifer Coolidge, John Michael Higgins, Michael Hitchcock
Some pets deserve a little more respect than others.
The Fault in Our Stars
- Wed, Apr 1
Director: Josh Boone Run Time: 126 min. Release Year: 2014
Starring: Ansel Elgort, Laura Dern, Nat Wolff, Sam Trammell, Shailene Woodley
Life doesn't have to be perfect for love to be extraordinary.
Of Mice and Men
- Sat, Apr 18
Director: Gary Sinise Run Time: 110 min. Release Year: 1992
Starring: Casey Siemaszko, Gary Sinise, John Malkovich, Ray Walston, Sherilyn Fenn
We have a dream. Someday, we'll have a little house and a couple of acres. A place to call home.
The Metropolitan Opera: Eugene Onegin – Presented with the Des Moines Metro Opera
- Sat, May 2
Director: Timur Zangiev Run Time: 245 min. Release Year: 2026 Language: Russian
Soprano Asmik Grigorian returns to the Met as Tatiana, the lovestruck young heroine in this ardent operatic adaptation...
The Metropolitan Opera: El Último Sueño de Frida y Diego – Presented with the Des Moines Metro Opera
- Sat, May 30
Director: Deborah Colker, Yannick Nézet-Séguin Run Time: 158 min. Release Year: 2026 Language: Spanish
American composer Gabriela Lena Frank’s first opera, a magical-realist portrait of Mexico’s painterly power couple Frida Kahlo and...