Cinerama Dome, an iconic Hollywood theatre shuttered by Covid pandemic, will reopen

LOS ANGELES — The Cinerama Dome, a landmark Hollywood theatre shuttered during the Covid-19 pandemic, will be restored and reopen.

Alamo Drafthouse Cinema will operate the massive 86-foot-wide (26-metre-wide) curved dome theatre and an adjacent 14-theatre complex. Alamo's owner, Sony Pictures Entertainment, announced the plan to restore the Dome and reopen it in early 2028.

Alamo's plan will preserve the distinctive Cinerama Dome's geodesic exterior and large logo that have been a Hollywood landmark since the theatre opened in 1963. The dome will not have in-theatre dining, as is common in other Drafthouse theatres.

"There is no moviegoing destination anywhere in the world that commands the affection, history, and cultural significance of the Cinerama Dome. It represents the kind of singular experience we value and champion," said Ravi Ahuja, Chairman and CEO, Sony Pictures Entertainment. 

Alamo Drafthouse CEO Michael Kustermann said the dome would be its new West Coast flagship theatre.

The dome's massive screen supports 70mm projection, which is having a moment thanks to Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey.

It was commissioned in 1963 by Pacific Theatres founder William R. Forman as a state-of-the-art way to see movies using three projectors for its custom curved screen. When the dome closed in April 2021, it was one of only three theatres in the world with that capability. Its operator, Pacific Theatres, announced the closing was caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.

Michael O'Leary, the president and CEO of the movie theatre trade group Cinema United, applauded the news.

"The Cinerama Dome has been a treasured and important landmark for movie fans and the entire film community for over six decades," O'Leary said in a statement. 

"The timing could not be better with moviegoers making clear this year that they love the unique experience of seeing a movie on the big screen."

Alamo Drafthouse will also reopen a 14-theatre complex next to the dome that used to be operated by ArcLight Cinemas, which also shut down in 2021. 

Those theatres will have in-theatre dining, although the chain has faced backlash recently for its pivot to an in-seat ordering operation that requires use of personal phones.

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