Sony brings Cinerama Dome back with new Alamo Drafthouse next door
The Hollywood landmark will be restored through 2028, while the former ArcLight complex becomes a 14-screen Alamo Drafthouse.
By Georgia Hale · Staff Writer
3 min read
The Cinerama Dome is getting another reel.
Sony Pictures Entertainment said it will restore and reopen the landmark Hollywood theater, which has been closed since 2020. The company also plans to relaunch the adjoining 14-screen complex, previously ArcLight Cinemas, as an Alamo Drafthouse Cinema.
The move follows Sony’s 2024 purchase of Alamo Drafthouse Cinemas, a deal that pushed the studio into the exhibition business. Sony said renovation work on the Dome is set to begin next month and is expected to run through 2028.
The Dome itself will keep its famous Cinerama name and exterior branding, according to Sony. Alamo Drafthouse Cinemas will operate the site, but the Dome will not be converted into one of the chain’s dine-in theaters.
Instead, Sony said the historic auditorium will continue as a traditional movie house, with programming planned for repertory screenings, filmmaker series, premieres and special events.
A Hollywood comeback plan
The adjacent multiplex will get the full Alamo treatment, including the chain’s dine-in service. Sony said the complex will keep 35mm projection capacity for archival prints and will include several premium-format screens, with 70mm auditoriums among them.
Tom Rothman, chairman and CEO of Sony’s motion picture group, said in a statement that the company believes strongly in theatrical moviegoing and views the Dome as a symbol of that experience. He said Sony’s goal is to protect the theater’s history while keeping it active for future audiences.
The Cinerama Dome opened in 1963 as a home for the three-panel Cinerama projection process. Before its shutdown, Variety reported, the theater was among Los Angeles’ top-grossing multiplexes and a regular venue for major premieres and special events, including a preview screening of Quentin Tarantino’s “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.”
The venue went dark during the pandemic. Its future became uncertain after Pacific Theatres, the parent company connected to ArcLight Cinemas, filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy in 2021.
Ravi Ahuja, Sony Pictures Entertainment’s chairman and CEO, said the Dome carries rare affection, history and cultural weight among moviegoing sites. He called the reopening plan a significant moment for Sony, the film business and Los Angeles.
Alamo plants a bigger flag in Los Angeles
Alamo Drafthouse was founded in 1997 and currently runs a 10-screen cinema in downtown Los Angeles, along with 39 other locations around the United States. The chain is known for its no-talking, no-texting policy.
Alamo has also recently introduced mobile ordering to replace its older pen-and-paper system for food and drink service, a change Variety reported has drawn complaints from some theater traditionalists.
Like other cinema operators, Alamo faced severe pressure during the pandemic shutdowns. The chain filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2021 before later being acquired by Sony.
Michael Kustermann, CEO of Alamo Drafthouse and head of Sony Pictures Experiences, said the Hollywood site will serve as the chain’s new West Coast flagship. He said Alamo plans to bring programming and events to the complex while returning a major Los Angeles moviegoing destination to service.
This story draws on original reporting from Variety.