The reopening news comes as the North American box office shows signs of stabilizing after years of false starts. Domestic box office sales are on track to total about $5.4 billion this year, up 10 percent from last year and the highest total since 2019, according to Rentrak, a movie data service.
The Cinerama Dome, located on Sunset Boulevard in the heart of Hollywood, opened in 1963 with the premiere of “It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World.” In recent years, it has been covered in plywood, its empty marquee and trash-strewn entrance a stark reminder to many Angelenos of an industry battered by the pandemic, labor strikes and the migration of film and television production to states and countries with richer tax incentives.
The Forman family, which owns the property, insisted for years that it would reopen the dome itself, repeatedly pushing back target dates while refusing to lease the complex to another operator. Efforts by Regal Cinemas and AMC Entertainment, the two largest multiplex chains in North America, to reopen the theater went nowhere. A representative for the Forman family did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Ravi Ahuja, CEO of Sony Pictures Entertainment, said Sony would also reopen an adjacent 14-screen theater complex in 2028. The complex, which was formerly an ArcLight Cinemas property, will become an Alamo Drafthouse Cinema. It will house multiple screens in premium format with immersive sound and laser projection, including 70 millimeter features.
“This is a meaningful moment for our company, our industry and Los Angeles,” said Mr. Ahuja.
Sony acquired the 40-location Alamo Drafthouse chain in 2024. The chain is known for offering distinctive programming — far beyond the studio’s current blockbusters — and serving a full menu of food, beer, wine and cocktails directly to guests’ seats. The Dome, which has an 86-foot-wide, deep-curved screen, will also be served by the Alamo. But it won’t be a diner, Sony said.
