6360 SUNSET BLVD.
An iconic place for movies, and a home for kindred spirits
Right here in the heart of a hundred-year-old industry, one theater towered over all the rest for decades.
Even to the casual observer, Cinerama’s prominence was clear.
Here was the world’s only concrete geodesic dome. Here was the graceful curve of a massive contoured screen, advanced acoustics, and an early example of stadium seating. Here was a truly immersive theatrical experience, free from distractions. Focused on film.
That’s what distinguished Cinerama. That sense of dedication. Enthusiasm. Reverence. True movie lovers came here to drink it all in, to talk it all out, to build it all up. If famous faces appeared in the lobby, it wasn’t some publicity stunt. They flocked to a theater that valued respect and sat next to people who shared their passion. No star outshone the movies at the Cinerama Dome. It was, and remains, a temple to an art form — a place where we could sit in the dark, together, and worship.
As time went by…
A unique architectural achievement
At a height of more than 70 feet, the Cinerama Dome is an unmissable landmark designed by Welton Becket & Associates, the legendary LA firm. The Dome was constructed from 316 concrete polygons, weighing in at 7,500 pounds apiece, and the entire building was completed over a remarkable 16 weeks of round-the-clock work in 1963.
Built with innovation in mind
The theater was created to show Cinerama movies, a novel shooting and projecting process that involved three cameras and a huge, curved screen. The idea was to engulf an audience’s field of vision so thoroughly that TV was driven from their minds. The process didn’t last, but the 86-foot screen remained, leaving moviegoers awestruck for more than 50 years.
The perfect place for a premiere
Since the worldwide debut of Stanley Kramer’s It’s a Mad Mad Mad Mad World, a black tie gala attended by Hollywood royalty, the Dome has played host to dozens of auspicious openings, including Apocalypse Now, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, and E.T. The premiere of Yentl, which included a sit-down dinner outside the theater, cost over $500,000.
A magnet for LA movie lovers
Over time, the Cinerama Dome and the City of Angels developed a sort of symbiosis. Here, Hollywood’s finest could take in a movie alongside serious cinephiles, and the building could bask in the glow of their devotion. COVID-19 forced the theater to shutter, but the Dome still stands, missed dearly by its denizens, and ready to add to its remarkable history.