Hollywood's Iconic Cinerama Dome Reopens in 2028

One of Hollywood's most beloved landmarks is making a comeback that film lovers have been dreaming about for five years.

The Cinerama Dome, the geodesic theater on Sunset Boulevard that looks like a giant golf ball, will reopen in early 2028. Sony Pictures Entertainment and Alamo Drafthouse are bringing the 956-seat cinema back to life after it closed during the pandemic in 2020.

"Hot damn! We're bringing the Dome back, baby," said Tom Rothman, CEO of Sony Pictures Entertainment's movie division. His excitement captures what movie fans across the country are feeling about this historic venue's return.

The theater is truly one of a kind. When it opened in 1963, builders planned to create 300 similar theaters worldwide, but those plans never happened. That makes this dome the only one of its kind on Earth.

The building itself is an architectural wonder. Its roof consists of 316 concrete hexagons and pentagons, making it the world's first concrete geodesic dome using Buckminster Fuller's patented design. Inside, an 86-foot-wide curved screen has hosted legendary premieres including Close Encounters of the Third Kind.

The dome has starred in movies too, appearing in Quentin Tarantino's Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. In 1998, Los Angeles officially recognized it as a Historic-Cultural Monument.

The Bright Side

The theater's revival comes at the perfect time. Movie theaters are bouncing back strong after pandemic closures, and young people are leading the charge. Gen Z and millennials now average seven trips to the movies each year, according to a recent Fandango study.

Sony promises to preserve everything fans love about the Dome. The classic name stays. The vintage marquee stays. The Mid-Century Modern decor stays. Even the traditional concession stands will remain instead of switching to the dine-in model Alamo uses elsewhere.

"It was definitely the capital of the moviegoing experience in L.A.," said Benjamin Steinberg, who leads the online Save Your Cinema campaign. "I can't wait to go back inside the Cinerama Dome and watch movies."

The adjacent 14-screen ArcLight Hollywood complex will also reopen simultaneously under the Alamo Drafthouse brand.

For anyone who believes in the magic of watching stories unfold on the big screen with a room full of strangers, the Dome's return feels like coming home.