Man on a Mission to Save Landmark Hollywood Theater

Since its opening in 1963, the Cinerama Dome in Los Angeles has hosted many notable events, including the Hollywood Film Festival, cementing its status as a landmark for the film industry.

The Cinerama Dome, LA

The Dome, with its enormous screen that wrapped around audiences, was once one of the nation’s most profitable movie theaters, regularly attracting crowds to Sunset Boulevard for dinner and drinks. It was Hollywood’s gathering place and, five years after shutting its doors during the Covid pandemic in 2020, the streets and businesses around the theater are looking a bit blighted and forlorn. So, a local by the name of Ben Steinberg decided to start a campaign to try and save it - and it looks like his efforts may be about to pay off.

The Dome ignited Ben Steinberg’s love for movies and was one of his “favorite places in the world,” he told Variety. Hoping to catch the attention of the owners, the LA County resident created social media accounts in 2021 to rally support for its reinstatement, and in early 2025, he started a petition that has since generated over 30,000 signatures. “The Cinerama Dome is not just a movie theater,” one Angeleno commented. “It’s a valuable resource. It’s a cathedral. It needs to be open again.”

Then in October, Steinberg spotted a positive sign: Dome Center LLC, which owns the property, filed for an alcohol permit for the theater and an adjoining multiplex that would allow for on-site consumption. While a reopen date has yet to be announced, he hopes his campaign will follow in the footsteps of a 1998 public outcry, which saved the Dome from being knocked down. “We saved the Cinerama Dome from being demolished in 1998,” Steinberg wrote, “I believe it can be saved again.”