Cinerama Dome, once shuttered by pandemic, will reopen

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

Alamo Drafthouse Cinema will operate the massive 86-foot-wide curved dome theater and an adjacent 14-theater 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 theater opened in 1963. The dome will not have in-theater dining, as is common in other Drafthouse theaters.

“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 theater.

The dome’s massive screen supports 70 mm 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 theaters in the world with that capability. Its operator, Pacific Theaters, announced the closing was caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

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