LOS ANGELES — The Cinerama Dome is scheduled to reopen in 2028. Alamo Drafthouse plans to program and operate the Cinerama Dome and 14 other screens at the adjoining multiplex.

"Hot damn! We're bringing the Dome back, baby," SONY Pictures Entertainment Motion Picture Group CEO Tom Rothman said in a statement. "We believe in moviegoing down to our soul, and no venue on Earth stands more for that than the one-of-a-kind Dome," Rothman said in a statement.

The Cinerama Dome has been closed since the COVID pandemic. The Cinerama Dome's operators went bankrupt during the pandemic.

"There's a lot of passion behind this theater," says Michael O'Leary, who heads Cinema United. O'Leary states that the Cinerama Dome's recovery is proof the pandemic is behind us and movie theater-going is back.

"It's really exciting," agrees Escott Norton, former executive director and current board member of the Los Angeles Historic Theatre Foundation. "People think of this as the ultimate Hollywood experience," says Norton.

Sony has promised to preserve the Cinerama Dome's history while ensuring its future. In 2026, Sony Pictures announced it had purchased the leases to the Cinerama Dome and former ArcLight Hollywood, planning to reopen both locations in 2028 with the former ArcLight operating as an Alamo Drafthouse Cinema.

Sony Pictures Experiences acquired the Alamo Drafthouse Cinema chain in June 2024. SONY Pictures was established in 1987.

The Cinerama Dome is a movie theater at Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, United States. Los Angeles is seat of Los Angeles County, and largest city in California, United States.

The Cinerama Dome features a geodesic-shaped auditorium designed to show wide screen movies. The Cinerama Dome was built in 1963 by William Forman, the founder of Pacific Theaters.

William Forman commissioned a French architect who had studied under R. Buckminster Fuller to design the Cinerama Dome. The Cinerama Dome was originally made to showcase Cinerama, a format developed in the 1950s.

The Cinerama Dome was constructed in 16 weeks. The Cinerama Dome opened in time for the world premiere of the film It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World.

Quentin Tarantino personally welcomed audiences to his 2019 feature Once Upon a Time in Hollywood at the Cinerama Dome. Once Upon a Time in Hollywood included exterior shots of the Cinerama Dome.

Quentin Tarantino owns two other historic LA cinemas. Benjamin Steinberg is a 27-year-old filmmaker and actor who appeared on Brooklyn Nine-Nine.

Benjamin Steinberg created a campaign to save the Cinerama Dome. Benjamin Steinberg organized street rallies to save the Cinerama Dome.

Benjamin Steinberg wrote an online petition to save the Cinerama Dome that amassed more than 30,000 signatures. In March, Benjamin Steinberg projected images of the Forman family's faces onto the outside of the Cinerama Dome.

Benjamin Steinberg was not arrested after projecting images onto the Cinerama Dome. The Forman family still owns the property where the Cinerama Dome is located.

The reopening of the Cinerama Dome represents a significant development for historic preservation and the cinema industry in Los Angeles. The venue's closure during the pandemic and subsequent bankruptcy of its operators marked a difficult period for movie theaters, making the restoration effort a notable indicator of recovery.

The involvement of major industry players like Sony Pictures and Alamo Drafthouse Cinema reflects the continued cultural and commercial value placed on historic theatrical venues. The project connects the legacy of the 1963 structure with modern exhibition practices, aiming to maintain the site's historical significance while adapting it for future audiences.

Why It Matters

The 2028 reopening marks a recovery for the venue after its operators went bankrupt and it closed during the pandemic. Industry leaders describe the site as essential to moviegoing, while advocates view its restoration as proof that theater attendance is returning. The project connects the 1963 structure's legacy with modern exhibition practices under new management.