The Cinerama Dome, a beloved Hollywood landmark, is one step closer to reopening to the public.
On Tuesday, May 12, 2026, the Los Angeles Office of Zoning Administration approved a conditional use permit for Hollywood’s ArcLight Hollywood and Cinerama Dome to serve alcoholic beverages for on-site consumption during hours of operation, between 7 am and 4 am daily. The permit is valid for three years and covers the theater complex, which includes the Cinerama Dome Theater, 14 auditorium theaters, and a restaurant cafe with two outdoor dining terraces.
“This is a long-standing property, and they’re really working very hard to redevelop the site,” Elizabeth Petersen-Gower, a representative for LLC Robinson Property Group, told Variety.
Though the project is clearly in motion, representatives don’t have a sense of the reopening timeline. The Arc Light Cinema and Cinerama Dome shut down in 2020, another casualty of the COVID-19 pandemic. While it was initially announced as a temporary closure, it was officially boarded up in April of 2021.
The Dome is the world’s first all-concrete geodesic dome – it’s made of 316 concrete interlocking panels fitted together like a giant honeycomb. Its debut screening of It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World, shot in Ultra Panavision 70, also introduced audiences to the arrival of “single-lens” Cinerama. By 1998, the city officially recognized its importance by naming it a Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument.
Organizers hope to restore the iconic theaters to their former glory. Peterson-Gower also noted the success of the adjoining Blue Note Jazz Club, which opened next door to the building last year, as proof of the complex’s potential success.
“There have been a lot of grand openings of films here. There are certain events or parties that would happen, focusing on theater and music. They’ve coordinated premieres with other properties. They intend to have some collaboration with talent, I’m sure, at Blue Note,” she said.
Ted Walker, Los Angeles City Council District 13, also expressed support for the reopening at the public hearing.
“The Cinerama Dome is an L.A. historic cultural monument,” he said. “We’re very supportive of anything to bring life back into this. We know there’s a lot of love for the Cinerama Dome and we want to acknowledge the work of all the community members who are advocating for it, we believe, resuming these operations will further enhance the vibrancy of Hollywood.”
