I meant to write about this over a month ago, but somehow I kept getting sidetracked. You’ve probably already heard that the Cinerama Dome will be re-opening, so this isn’t breaking news. Still, because the Dome is so important to the Hollywood community, and to me personally, I wanted to weigh in.

The Cinerama Dome/Arclight complex was closed during the pandemic. By itself, this wasn’t surprising, since movie theatres across the country were closing to prevent the spread of Covid. But the problem was that, in the Dome’s case, it appeared that the owners were not interested in continuing to operate the venue. Concerns grew when the pandemic ended and other theatres re-opened, but the Dome remained closed.

For those of you who prefer staying home and streaming movies, this probably doesn’t seem like a big deal. But to the Hollywood community, it was huge. Opening in 1963, the Dome was built to show films made in Cinerama, a wide-screen process that was designed to create an immersive experience. It was one of many wide-screen processes developed on the 50s to lure audiences away from their TVs. (For more background, click here.) In 2002, Pacific added the Arclight complex, a multiplex that included a restaurant and bar. In addition to showing first-run films, the Arclight also screened classic films and hosted events. At the Dome/Arclight complex, seating was assigned, the number of previews was limited to three, and cell phone use was restricted. The high standards for projection and sound, coupled with the overall quality of the experience, made the Dome/Arclight complex a hit. It wasn’t just a place to see movies. It was a social center for the Hollywood community.

As we all know, Hollywood has been hit with a lot of bad news lately. So the news that the Dome/Arclight will be re-opening, along with this year’s strong rebound in box office receipts, is a welcome change of pace. The complex will be run by Alamo Drafthouse, a subsidiary of Sony Pictures. Sony says they’ll be restoring the Dome, and plan to re-open in 2028.

I can’t wait.

Sony and Alamo Drafthouse Announce Plans to Reopen the Iconic Cinerama Dome