Attention cinema lovers: You can now see movies on Iowa's largest theater screen.

The Palms Theatres & IMAX in Waukee is partially open after nearly a year of construction. It's the latest amenity-rich theater to join the Des Moines metro, but is the only IMAX with luxury recliners, food and drinks.

Seven of the facility's 15 auditoriums are open, including the 90-foot-wide IMAX and the theater's large format XL Digital screen.

Construction continues on the eight remaining auditoriums, which Des Moines-based Fridley Theatres plans to open later this year. Those "dine and recline" theaters will have in-seat food and beverage service and a full wait staff.

The $27.5 million facility in Waukee is the largest of the company's 20 theaters. The Palms' third-largest screen — at 54 feet wide — is bigger than any other theater operated by Fridley Theatres. Its also the company's first complex to have a restaurant.

The Palms has heated recliners, state-of-the-art sound and laser projection in every auditorium, a stand-alone bar and restaurant with a heated patio and 220-inch TV, and an arcade with cinema-themed games.

Fridley Theaters executives toured at least 50 movie theaters across the United States to see how others have responded to a quickly changing industry that can no longer rely just on good films to attract movie lovers, said Russell Vannorsdel, vice president of Fridley Theatres.

Locally, the success of Cinemark Altoona and XD's luxury recliners and Flix Brewhouse's restaurant and brewery model in Des Moines reinforced Fridley's desire to go big, he said.

"We wanted to differentiate ourselves from anyone else, and we wanted to make this place the best," he said. "And one of the best brands in the industry is IMAX."

The screen is 90 feet wide and 70 feet tall and features IMAX's 4K laser projection system. Some IMAX movies will be offered in 3D.

The IMAX theater has 314 seats. Every recliner in the IMAX — and the rest of the Palms' auditoriums — is extra wide, has two heating options and an adjustable headrest.

One of the auditoriums is Fridley Theatres' premium large format model called XL Digital. It has a 75-foot screen and 56 Dolby Atmos immersive speakers. Other auditoriums in the Palms also have the Dolby Atmos sound systems.

The Palms has the traditional popcorn and soda concessions and also offers things like hot dogs, chicken fingers and ICEE slushies.

Once open, the restaurant, Rick's Café Americain, will serve food and drinks for the in-seat dining theaters. Food can also be ordered from a counter to take into any auditorium.

Rick's Café Americain — named after the bar in "Casablanca" — will serve American food with an Asian twist, said chef Adam Hunt. Think traditional burgers, banh mi sandwiches and Thai PB&J chicken wings. It will also serve flatbread pizza in a range of flavors, including four cheese, brisket cheesesteak and hot pepper bacon jam. Dessert offerings include apple strudel and sticky toffee pudding cake.

The restaurant itself has 70 seats, a heated outdoor patio, and a 220-inch TV that can be split into 16 separate screens. It also has a full bar.

Customers sitting down to dine will have more options like steak, pork chops and pasta — "something you can eat with a knife and fork," Hunt said.

Fridley Theaters hopes Rick's Café Americain can stand as its own restaurant. Customers may not necessarily go see a movie after they eat there, Vannorsdel said.

The restaurant will fully open in a few weeks once the kitchen passes inspection and front- and back-of-house staff is trained.

Expect other announcements from Fridley Theaters in the next year, too. As part of a development agreement with Waukee, the company will add tenants in three outlots along Hickman Road. Culver's has already been announced as one.

Waukee has agreed to give Fridley Theatres tax increment financing funds totaling about $1.64 million over seven years. In exchange, Fridley Theaters is required to build at least $10 million in property tax valuation and construct the city street connecting Northeast Dartmoor Drive and Northeast Westgate Drive.

Incentives were offered to offset the construction cost of the new street, valued at about $1.1 million, and because the project will be a regional attraction that is unique to Waukee, the city has said.

Fridley Theatres expects people to drive at least an hour to see an IMAX movie.

"It's not just a theater for the residents of Waukee," Vannorsdel said. "It's a theater for the Des Moines metro."

If you go

Address: 200 NE Westgate Drive, Waukee

Hours: Showtimes vary. The Palms Theatres & IMAX will not be open before 4 p.m. on weekdays while Fridley Theatres works to complete the second phase.

Price: Prices vary based on age, time of day, and day of the week. IMAX tickets range from $14 to $18. Regular theater tickets range from $8 to $14. Tickets can be purchased on Fandango.

Website: fridleytheatres.com

What about Des Moines' IMAX?

The Science Center of Iowa's Blank IMAX Dome Theater has a 180-degree screen that is six stories tall. It has been closed since it sustained damage in the June 30 storm that unleashed up to 8 inches of rain in just a few hours. Water damage has been mitigated and the Science Center is waiting for word from its insurance company before repairs can start, said Emilee Richardson, director of marketing and public relations.

"Unfortunately, it’s been a slow process. So at this time, we don’t have an anticipated opening date," she said.