Sony announced last month that it will restore and reopen the historic Cinerama Dome, with its subsidiary Alamo Drafthouse Cinema set to operate both the Dome and the adjacent former ArcLight Theater Hollywood location. The theater has sat closed for six years, shuttered since the pandemic forced its previous owner, Pacific Theatres, into bankruptcy.
Speaking with The Hollywood Reporter at the Los Angeles premiere of her new film “The Wrong Girls,” Stewart reacted to the news with equal parts relief and skepticism. “It took forever! It took Sony to do it. I hope they don’t f**k it up!” she said, before catching herself: “No, they won’t. I’m so grateful.”
Renovations are set to begin next month, with the reopening targeted for early 2028. The restoration will preserve the Dome’s original geodesic exterior, its 86-foot curved screen and its traditional concession setup, deliberately skipping the dine-in service found at most Alamo Drafthouse locations to protect the venue’s classic character.
The adjacent 14-screen complex will reopen as a full Alamo Drafthouse location, complete with dine-in seating, karaoke rooms, 35mm archival projection and 70mm presentation capability. Sony Pictures’ motion picture chief, Tom Rothman, called the announcement a chance to bring the Dome back for a venue he said stands for moviegoing like no other on Earth.
Built in 1963 using Buckminster Fuller’s patented geodesic dome technique, the Cinerama Dome holds the distinction of being the first structure of its kind made from concrete, and it opened with a screening of “It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World.” The building carries Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument status, and its closure sparked petitions and demonstrations from moviegoers hoping to see it revived.
Stewart has her own stake in preserving Los Angeles’s classic theaters. Earlier this year she purchased the Highland Theatre, a century-old venue in Highland Park that closed in the spring of 2024, joining a small group of stars stepping in to save the city’s historic movie houses.
Speaking previously to Architectural Digest about the purchase, Stewart described the moment the theater came to her attention as feeling like a gunshot went off, prompting her to chase the opportunity with everything she had. She has framed her restoration plans around building something for the community and finding new ways to keep theaters relevant.
