Still haven't seen your first show at the Esquire IMAX Theatre? You no longer have any excuse.

The theater is inviting the public to free showings of the film "Adventures in Wild California" from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday, July 11. The hour-long, large-format film will play every hour on a six-story screen. The theater at 1211 K St. seats 400.

The shows are being offered on a first-come, first-served basis to celebrate the IMAX theater's 10-year anniversary July 8. On Monday, the IMAX theater's role in reviving K Street Mall and the downtown core was lauded during a press conference led by Esquire IMAX Theatre Director Doug Link, Mayor Kevin Johnson and others.

"In just 10 years, the Esquire IMAX Theatre has quickly become an entertainment landmark in Sacramento, and I'm proud that it has been a pioneer of redevelopment on K Street," said the mayor, after getting an NBA star's welcome from nearly 400 children waiting for cake and a free movie through the city's Fourth R Child Care Program.

In 1999, Sacramento developer David Taylor rebuilt the old theater into a state-of-the-art venue for IMAX films as part of the mixed-use Esquire Plaza. He persuaded the Canadian company IMAX Corp. to get involved in the development. Today, the theater is one of only five in the world owned by IMAX Corp.

The Esquire Plaza project helped launch a new phase in the life of K Street Mall, said those who spoke at the press conference.

"Prior to this theater being here, this was one of the most underutilized and under-performing stretches of downtown," said Michael Ault, executive director of the Downtown Sacramento Partnership, a nonprofit working to improve the city's central business district.

"This was the first project that was part of the first wave of new investment taking place downtown. In urban areas across the U.S., many times it takes pioneers to lead the way," he said. "You can argue IMAX was that pioneer and really should be credited as part of the reason that the growth around it has taken place."

Sacramento's IMAX theater is a "major asset" in efforts to bring conventions and visitors to the city, said Steve Hammond, chief executive officer for the Sacramento Convention & Visitors Bureau. Its existence just steps from the Sacramento Convention Center is cited in all proposals to convention organizers.

The theater has averaged 230,000 moviegoers a year. In 2004, nearly 90,000 of those were fourth graders on school field trips focusing on history. Schoolchildren's attendance has fallen to 60,000 annually since 2004, Link said.

The anniversary celebration is part of an effort to bring more visitors to the theater. Esquire IMAX also is offering a summer-long "dinner and a movie" program: People who eat downtown or in Midtown just need to bring restaurant receipts to the theater and they can see an IMAX movie for $5, or a Hollywood blockbuster like "Star Trek" at $5 off, Link said.

Currently, 320 IMAX-capable theaters operate in 42 countries. About 60 percent are commercial theaters and the rest are used in educational facilities.

The Esquire Theater opened in Sacramento in 1940 and operated until the mid-1980s, Link said. The location served as the legendary nightclub Club Can't Tell and as office space before being shuttered for years.

The city contributed $6 million in public funds to support the Esquire Plaza project and construction of the IMAX theater. In 2005, the late George Tsakopoulos raised the theater's rent by $50,000 a year, Link said. The city agreed to pay that share of the rent for five years.

Saturday, the theater will host the free event to thank the community for its support, said Heather Atherton, the theater's spokesperson.

"It's a great chance to bring the whole family down and enjoy a movie together," she said.