Sony Pictures Entertainment announced on Wednesday that it will restore and reopen the Cinerama Dome, the iconic 86-foot-wide curved-screen theater on Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood, with renovations beginning in August and a target reopening in early 2028. The adjacent 14-screen complex, formerly the ArcLight Hollywood multiplex, will reopen as an Alamo Drafthouse Cinema featuring the chain’s signature dine-in experience, repertory programming, and 35mm and 70mm projection capabilities. The announcement arrives as Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey is generating record demand for premium-format screenings nationwide, reinforcing the commercial logic behind Sony’s decision to invest in large-format theatrical exhibition at a moment when audiences are demonstrating a clear willingness to pay for the experience.
Key Takeaways
- Sony Pictures Entertainment will restore and reopen the Cinerama Dome, a designated Los Angeles Historical Cultural Monument, in early 2028, with Alamo Drafthouse Cinema operating the venue.
- The adjacent 14-screen ArcLight Hollywood complex will reopen as an Alamo Drafthouse location offering dine-in service, repertory screenings, 35mm and 70mm projection, and designated event spaces.
- The Cinerama Dome itself will retain its historic name and exterior branding and will not operate as a dine-in theater, preserving its traditional concession model and large-format curved-screen presentation.
- Sony acquired Alamo Drafthouse in 2024, making it the first major studio to own a theatrical exhibition chain in decades.
- IMAX Corporation reported that The Odyssey delivered a record-breaking $52 million global opening weekend on IMAX screens, with 50% of North American audiences choosing a premium large-format screening.
What Is Sony’s Plan for the Cinerama Dome?
The Cinerama Dome has been dark since March 2020, when ArcLight Cinemas suspended operations at the onset of the pandemic. Parent company Pacific Theatres filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy in 2021, and the theater’s future became one of Hollywood’s most closely watched real estate questions. Community petitions, public demonstrations, and industry speculation kept the venue in the public conversation for six years, but no operator secured a deal to reopen it — until now.
Sony negotiated a lease with Robertson Property Group, the building’s owner, and will begin restorative renovations next month. The restoration will preserve the Dome’s distinctive geodesic architecture, its immersive large-format curved screen, and the Cinerama name and exterior branding that have defined the venue since it opened in 1963 with the premiere of It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World. The Dome will not adopt Alamo Drafthouse’s dine-in format, maintaining instead its traditional concession model alongside curated programming that includes repertory screenings, filmmaker series, premieres, and special events.
The 14-screen complex next door will operate under the Alamo Drafthouse brand with the full dine-in experience, new releases, archival film screenings, designated karaoke rooms, and fan celebrations. The multiplex will retain its 35mm and 70mm projection infrastructure and house several premium-format auditoriums. Tom Rothman, chairman and CEO of Sony’s Motion Picture Group, framed the investment in characteristically direct terms, stating that Sony believes in moviegoing and that no venue on earth stands for that conviction more than the Dome.
Why Is Sony Making This Investment Now?
The timing aligns with a measurable shift in audience behavior toward premium theatrical experiences. Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey, which opened July 17, delivered a $264 million global debut — Nolan’s largest ever — with half of North American opening-weekend audiences choosing a premium large-format screening. IMAX Corporation reported a record-breaking $52 million global opening weekend for the film across its screens, accounting for 20% of the total worldwide gross. The 41 theaters worldwide equipped for IMAX 70mm film projection averaged $153,000 per screen over the weekend, with many locations selling out screenings weeks in advance.
The domestic box office has climbed 10.3% year-over-year to more than $5.4 billion, reaching the $5 billion threshold by July 8 — a full 15 days earlier than in 2025. The data suggests that audiences are not simply returning to theaters but actively seeking out differentiated, high-quality presentation formats. Sony’s decision to restore a venue with one of the most distinctive screening environments in the world — an 86-foot curved screen built for immersive large-format projection — reflects a strategic bet that the premium-format trend has staying power beyond any single film’s release cycle.
Sony acquired Alamo Drafthouse in summer 2024, becoming the first major Hollywood studio to own a theatrical exhibition chain in decades. The acquisition gave Sony direct control over an exhibitor known for cinephile-driven programming, strict audience etiquette policies, and a loyal customer base. The Cinerama Dome deal extends that investment to a venue with national cultural recognition and positions Alamo Drafthouse’s West Coast flagship in one of Hollywood’s highest-visibility entertainment corridors.
What Does the Reopening Mean for the Broader Exhibition Industry?
The Dome’s revival is the latest signal in a broader recalibration of how studios think about theatrical distribution. For years, the conventional wisdom held that streaming would render large-format theatrical investment obsolete. The Odyssey’s box office performance — and the audience behavior it revealed — has forced a reassessment. IMAX CEO Rich Gelfond noted that the number of IMAX 70mm-equipped theaters has grown from 30 at the time of Oppenheimer’s release to 41 for The Odyssey, and that the technology pipeline for expanding that count remains active.
Topsports CEO Michael Kustermann, who also serves as head of Sony Pictures Experiences, described the Cinerama Dome location as Alamo Drafthouse’s new West Coast flagship and emphasized that the programming will return to Los Angeles one of its most culturally significant moviegoing destinations. The remaining 2026 IMAX slate — including Dune: Part Three, which IMAX is already promoting in 70mm — provides a runway of premium-format content that supports the economics of venues like the Dome well beyond The Odyssey’s theatrical window.
Sony’s decision to bring the Cinerama Dome back to life after six years of dormancy is as much a statement about the future of theatrical exhibition as it is a real estate transaction — and the $264 million opening weekend of The Odyssey suggests the audience appetite that justifies that statement is not theoretical.
FAQs
When Will the Cinerama Dome Reopen?
Sony plans to complete restorative renovations and reopen the Cinerama Dome in early 2028. Construction work begins in August 2026. The adjacent 14-screen complex will also reopen as an Alamo Drafthouse Cinema on a similar timeline.
Will the Cinerama Dome Offer Dine-In Service?
The Cinerama Dome itself will not operate as a dine-in theater. It will maintain its traditional concession model and large-format curved-screen presentation. The adjacent 14-screen Alamo Drafthouse multiplex will offer the chain’s signature dine-in service, along with repertory screenings, events, and premium-format auditoriums.
Who Owns the Cinerama Dome?
The building is owned by Robertson Property Group. Sony Pictures Entertainment has secured a lease to operate the venue through its subsidiary Alamo Drafthouse Cinema, which Sony acquired in 2024. Sony will manage both the Dome and the adjacent multiplex.
What Formats Will Be Available at the Restored Complex?
The Cinerama Dome will retain its immersive large-format curved-screen presentation, including 70mm projection capability. The adjacent Alamo Drafthouse multiplex will offer 35mm and 70mm projection alongside several premium-format auditoriums for new releases and archival screenings.
