Sony Reopening Hollywood ArcLight, Cinerama Dome Theaters
Shuttered for six years, the Cinerama Dome and ArcLight Hollywood are slated to reopen with Alamo Drafthouse at the helm following a deal with Alamo owner Sony Pictures Entertainment to lease both theaters.
Alamo will operate the theaters, with the Cinerama Dome retaining its name and the ArcLight becoming the 14-screen Alamo Drafthouse Hollywood. Construction is scheduled to begin in August, and both venues are expected to reopen in 2028, according to a release from Alamo Drafthouse.
"Following Sony Pictures Entertainment’s acquisition of Alamo Drafthouse in 2024, this project represents the clearest expression yet of our shared belief in the future of theatrical exhibition and in the kind of singular moviegoing experiences worth preserving," a representative for Alamo Drafthouse wrote in a release announcing the news.
Teams from JLL, CBRE and Muhlstein Commercial worked on the long-term lease for the properties. The theaters are side by side at 6360 Sunset Blvd.
The Cinerama Dome is a city landmark and will require careful preservation and updating, the theater chain said.
Once reopened, the dome will once again show movies on 70-millimeter film and serve as a destination for film premieres, special events and "repertory programming created specifically for the venue," according to the release.
The revamped ArcLight will function like other Alamo Drafthouses, running first-run and revival films and offering full-service food and beverage.
This year's box office has made a strong showing so far, with a domestic total of $5.4B through this past Sunday, the best since 2019, according to Deadline. Prior to the pandemic, the Cinerama Dome and Hollywood ArcLight complex was one of the 10 highest-grossing multiplexes in the country, according to Deadline.
The leases are the latest in a string of large, high-profile retail leases in Hollywood signed or resulting in openings in the last year or so, including an ambitious new spa complex at the former Amoeba Music building and a high-end grocery store along Hollywood Boulevard.
