Los Angeles theater owner Kristen Stewart is celebrating one of the city’s most iconic movie houses coming back to life.
Last month, Sony announced plans to restore and reopen Hollywood’s Cinerama Dome, with the Sony-owned Alamo Drafthouse operating both the Dome and the former ArcLight Theater Hollywood location that sits next door. It’s set to reopen in early 2028, after having been closed since 2020.
Meanwhile, Stewart became another theater savior this year as she purchased the Highland Theatre in Highland Park, a 100-year-old venue that closed in spring 2024. At the L.A. premiere of her new movie The Wrong Girls, Stewart reacted to the Cinerama Dome revival, telling The Hollywood Reporter, “It took forever! It took Sony to do it. I hope they don’t fuck it up!” before adding, “No, they won’t. I’m so grateful.”
There has been plenty of chatter about the reopening, with some fearing that Alamo Drafthouse’s mobile ordering model may significantly change the experience at the venue. But Sony has emphasized that the Dome itself will not have in-theater dining, and the company said in a statement, “The restoration will honor the landmark’s distinctive aesthetic character, immersive large-format curved-screen presentation and traditional concession experience that have made it a beloved destination for generations.”
As for the Highland Theatre, Stewart told Architectural Digest earlier this year, “I didn’t realize I was looking for a theater until this place came to my attention. Then it was like a gunshot went off and the race was on. I ran toward it with everything I had.”
The native Angeleno is planning her own restoration of the venue, saying, “This project is about creating a new school and restructuring our processes, finding a better way forward. We want to make it a family affair, something for the community. It’s not just for pretentious Hollywood cinephiles. I see it as an antidote to all the corporate bullshit, a place that takes movie culture away from just buying and selling. I think there’s a huge desire and craving for what this kind of space can offer.”
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