Cinerama Dome in Hollywood to Reopen Under Sony Pictures Ownership, Operated by Alamo Drafthouse

The Cinerama Dome in Hollywood is finally set to reopen after six years of lying dormant since the COVID-19 pandemic. Sony Pictures Entertainment has acquired the movie palace, which is a Los Angeles Historic Cultural Monument, and plans to reopen and restore the Dome and the adjoining multiplex under the operation of Alamo Drafthouse Cinema.

News broke on Tuesday that Sony was in talks, but last night the Cinerama Dome briefly lit up as a tease of this morning’s surprise news and as a nod to Columbia Pictures’ first-ever premiere at the Cinerama Dome: “Close Encounters of the Third Kind” in 1977.

Sony announced that restorative renovations of the Dome will begin next month and continue through early 2028. When it does finally reopen, it will be operated by Alamo Drafthouse, and the 14-screen theater complex adjacent to it, formerly an ArcLight Cinemas location, will become an Alamo.

The Dome, however, will not operate as a dine-in theater the way other Alamo locations are, but it will feature Alamo’s programming, repertory screenings, filmmaker series, premieres, and special events. The Dome will also retain the Cinerama name and the same exterior branding that has been there since it first opened in 1963.

The Cinerama Dome is famous for its large-format, curved screen presentation, an 86-foot-wide, immersive screen that features 70mm exhibition. The theater opened with the premiere of “It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World,” which was the first movie to be screened in the Cinerama format that shares the theater’s name. The adjoining 14-screen multiplex that will become an Alamo will also retain 35mm capabilities to showcase archival film prints and will house several premium format screens with immersive audio and 4K laser projection, including 70mm capabilities.

“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. “This is a meaningful moment for our company, our industry, and Los Angeles. We look forward to honoring and extending the Dome’s extraordinary legacy.”

“Hot damn! We’re bringing the Dome back, baby. We believe in moviegoing down to our soul, and no venue on Earth stands more for that than the one-of-a-kind Dome. I am deeply proud that Sony is investing in Hollywood, literally,” said Tom Rothman, chairman and CEO, SPE Motion Picture Group. “The Dome has hosted generations of unforgettable movie moments. Our goal is to preserve its legendary history while ensuring it remains vibrant now and far into the future.”

“For 30 years we have championed the kind of theatrical experience that turns a screening into an event, and created spaces where people come together to celebrate cinema. As our new West Coast flagship, we will offer extraordinary programming and events, while returning to Los Angeles one of its most beloved and culturally significant moviegoing destinations,” said Michael Kustermann, CEO of Alamo Drafthouse and Head of Sony Pictures Experiences.

The Cinerama Dome and the Arclight Cinemas in Hollywood have been closed since 2020 amid the COVID-19 pandemic, but in 2021, Pacific Theatres, which operated both locations, declared bankruptcy, and the Dome has remained shuttered ever since. It’s been a major loss to the industry, which would typically host numerous screenings and premieres in the space but now has one less venue to do so.

Other Arclight locations in Los Angeles and across the country have all been acquired by other theater chains or studios in the years since, but the Cinerama Dome’s plans seemed to be completely stagnant. Decurion, the company that owned the Cinerama Dome and is run by the grandson of the Dome’s original founder, William Forman, had been notoriously press-shy and gave few updates on a potential timeline.

Back in May, Los Angeles City held a permit hearing to grant the Cinerama Dome a new liquor license, and the public forum created an opportunity for local activists to speak out about the lack of movement. Many who attended the forum presumed that the liquor license was a formality and that Decurion had no intention of reopening the Dome, and Sony was certainly not on the radar at that time.

SPE acquired Alamo Drafthouse in 2024, a major shift in Hollywood as the longstanding Paramount Decrees had prevented movie studios from owning theater chains. SPE added to its portfolio with a recent investment in Cosm earlier this year, an upstart chain of immersive theater spaces that primarily screen sports and other live events.