Cinerama Dome facts for kids
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| Location | 6360 Sunset Boulevard, Hollywood, California |
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| Coordinates | 34°05′51″N 118°19′41″W / 34.097581°N 118.328088°W |
| Owner | Pacific Theatres |
| Type | Indoor movie theater |
| Construction | |
| Opened | November 7, 1963 |
| Renovated | 2025 |
| Architect | Pierre Cabrol Welton Becket & Associates |
| General contractor | AECOM Hunt |
| Designated: | December 18, 1998 |
| Reference #: | 659 |
The Cinerama Dome is a famous movie theater. It is located at 6360 Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood, California. This special theater was designed to show widescreen Cinerama films. It first opened its doors on November 7, 1963.
The person who built it was William R. Forman. He was the founder of Pacific Theatres. The Cinerama Dome was a top place to see new movies. It was part of the ArcLight Hollywood complex. The theater closed temporarily in March 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic in California. The ArcLight chain then closed permanently in April 2021. The Cinerama Dome did not reopen at that time. In June 2022, plans were announced to reopen it. The former ArcLight Hollywood complex would also reopen. The new name for the entire complex was planned to be Cinerama Hollywood.
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History of the Cinerama Dome
In February 1963, a company called Cinerama Inc. showed off a new design for movie theaters. These theaters were made to show their special movies. The design was based on the geodesic dome. This type of dome was created by R. Buckminster Fuller. These new theaters would cost half as much to build. They would also be built in half the time compared to regular theaters. Cinerama wanted to build at least 600 of them around the world.
The next month, Pacific Theatres Inc. announced they would build the first theater using this design. They started clearing the land for construction. The location was on Sunset Boulevard near Vine Street. This would be the first major new movie theater in Hollywood in 33 years. It was planned to be ready for the premiere of the movie It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World. The design was suggested by a French architect named Pierre Cabrol. He was the main designer at a well-known architecture firm.
Building the Dome
William R. Forman, the founder of Pacific Theatres, announced the start of construction in July 1963. Many famous actors attended the groundbreaking ceremony. These included Spencer Tracy, Buddy Hackett, and Mickey Rooney. They put on hard hats and used picks and shovels to start the work. Forman had promised that the theater would be ready for November 7, 1963. This was the date for the world premiere of It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World. This movie was the first to be filmed in the new 70mm, single-strip Cinerama process.
The construction team worked day and night. The entire building process took only 16 weeks. The Cinerama Dome is the only concrete geodesic dome of its kind in the world. The theater is made from 316 separate shapes. These shapes are hexagons and pentagons. They come in 16 different sizes. Each piece is about 12 feet (3.7 m) across. Each one weighs around 7,500 pounds (3,400 kg).
The theater also has special design features. It has a loge section with stadium seating. This means seats are tiered like in a sports stadium. It also has unique floating stairways. When it opened, it had the largest curved movie screen in the world. This screen was 32 feet (9.8 m) high and 86 feet (26 m) wide.
Cinerama Film Technology
The premiere of It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World used a new "single lens" Cinerama process. Before this, Cinerama was famous for its special three-projector system. From 1963 until 2002, the Cinerama Dome only showed movies with the single-lens process. A unique "rectified" print was made for these films. This print helped fix distortions on the deeply curved screen.
The Cinerama Dome in the 21st Century
In 2002, the Cinerama Dome reopened after being closed for two years. It became part of Pacific Theatres' ArcLight Hollywood complex. The dome itself stayed mostly the same. However, there were improvements, especially to the sound system. For the first time ever, the Cinerama Dome started showing movies using the original three-projector Cinerama format. It is one of only a few Cinerama theaters left in the world. Other known ones include Pictureville Cinema in the UK and Seattle Cinerama.
The Cinerama Dome began showing digital movies in May 2005. The first digital film shown was Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith. In 2009, Avatar was the first 3D movie shown there. It used special 3D technology.
In December 2015, the Cinerama Dome upgraded its projection system. It started using a laser-projection system. This system uses two special projectors and Dolby 3D. The theater can still show movies using both 35mm and 70mm film.
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In April 2021, the company that owned Pacific Theatres announced it would not reopen any of its locations. This included the Cinerama Dome. This decision was due to the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. Later that year, reports said a permit was filed for a bar and restaurant at the location.
In June 2022, it was reported that Decurion Corp. planned to reopen the theater. The name would be Cinerama Hollywood. The fourteen-screen multiplex next to it would also reopen. Plans also included two bars and a restaurant. Three months later, it was reported the theater would not reopen until late 2023. However, in May 2023, this was delayed again to late 2024. In November 2023, the reopening was delayed once more. It was then expected in the second quarter of 2025. This was mainly due to redesigns, including adding restaurants and event spaces.
In April 2025, reports said the reopening of the Cinerama Dome was uncertain. The property manager stated it would not reopen that year. Decurion was not willing to sell or reopen the complex. A petition to reopen the complex had gathered over 30,000 signatures. In June 2025, a land use consultant spoke about the future of the Cinerama Dome. She said the property owner was committed to redeveloping the site. She added that restoring the theater would be next.
Preserving the Cinerama Dome
The Cinerama Dome has an 86-foot (26 m) wide screen. It also has advanced sound and can show 70mm film. This made it a favorite for movie premieres and special showings. But by the late 1990s, movie businesses started preferring multiplex cinemas. These are theaters with many screens. Pacific Theatres suggested remodeling the Dome as part of a shopping mall and cinema complex.
People who wanted to protect historical buildings were very upset. They did not want another great theater turned into a multiplex or destroyed. At the same time, a small group of Cinerama fans began bringing back the three-projector process. These fans and the preservationists convinced Pacific Theatres to change their plans.
The Cinerama Dome was saved at a time when most other Cinerama theaters were being torn down. For example, the Indian Hills Theater in Omaha, Nebraska was a round Cinerama theater. It had a 110-foot (34 m) screen. It was torn down in 2001 to make space for a parking lot.
The Cinerama Dome was officially named a Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument in 1998. This means it is a protected historical site.
See also
- List of Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monuments in Hollywood
- Seattle Cinerama
- Pictureville Cinema
