Kristen Stewart on Cinerama Dome: ‘Hope They Don’t F***

Kristen Stewart is thrilled to see one of Los Angeles’ most iconic movie palaces back in business - but she’s also keeping her fingers crossed that its caretakers don’t mess it up.

The Twilight star, who has long been a vocal champion of the theatrical experience, publicly praised the reopening of the Cinerama Dome in Hollywood, expressing cautious optimism about the landmark venue’s future under new management. “Hope they don’t f*** it up!” Stewart said during a brief press interaction, her enthusiasm tempered by a sharp awareness of how easily beloved institutions can lose their soul in the name of modernization.

The Cinerama Dome, with its distinctive geodesic concrete shell and curved 70mm screen, has stood on Sunset Boulevard since 1963. It was designed specifically for the three-projector Cinerama process, though over the decades it evolved into a standard - but far from ordinary - premium cinema. For generations of Angelenos, the Dome was not just a place to watch movies; it was the place, a cathedral of celluloid where premieres felt like events and even a Tuesday night screening carried a sense of occasion.

That legacy made the theater’s closure in 2020 a particular gut punch. When the pandemic shuttered cinemas nationwide, the Dome’s parent company at the time, Pacific Theatres, announced it would not reopen any of its locations, including the historic venue. The news sparked an outpouring of grief from filmmakers, critics, and cinephiles who feared the Dome would be converted into a parking structure, a nightclub, or worse - a bland multiplex with recliners and overpriced cocktails.

But the Dome isn’t dead. After years of uncertainty, a coalition of entertainment industry heavyweights and preservation-minded investors secured the rights to reopen the property. The venue has since hosted a soft-launch series of screenings, drawing crowds eager to sit under that iconic curved roof once more. Stewart, who has appeared on the Dome’s massive screen during her Twilight heyday, was among the first wave of celebrants to mark its resurrection.

Her comment, delivered with a mix of affection and irreverence, captures a sentiment shared by many in the film community: reverence for the past, but wariness about the compromises that often accompany corporate revival efforts. Stewart didn’t elaborate on what specifically she fears could go wrong, but her track record suggests she’s sensitive to the ways in which cinema culture gets diluted by commercial pressures. As an actress who has pivoted from blockbuster romance to avant-garde indie projects, she has repeatedly spoken about the importance of preserving the ritual of watching films in a darkened room, on a giant screen, with an audience.

The reopening of the Cinerama Dome carries symbolic weight beyond its physical structure. In an era of streaming dominance and shrinking theatrical windows, the Dome is a reminder that the communal experience of cinema is not obsolete. It’s also a test case: can a beloved, historically significant venue find a sustainable business model without sacrificing the quirks that made it special?

Early signs are mixed but promising. The management has promised to maintain the Dome’s signature 70mm projection capabilities, a format that had become nearly extinct. They’ve also committed to a programming mix that includes both new releases and repertory screenings, from 2001: A Space Odyssey to Pulp Fiction. But some purists have grumbled about the addition of a bar and expanded concession menu, wondering if the venue is slowly drifting toward a souped-up “premium” experience rather than the community-focused theater it once was.

Stewart’s blunt wish reflects that anxiety. She’s not demanding that the Dome remain frozen in amber - she’s simply hoping that whoever is running the show remembers what made the place matter in the first place. In her view, the building’s magic isn’t just in its architecture; it’s in the promise that every screening feels like an event, not a transactional stop on a corporate schedule.

The venue’s reopening has also been hailed as a symbolic win for Hollywood labor and exhibition workers, who have faced waves of layoffs and theater closures across the country. The Dome’s survival offers a rare piece of good news in an industry still grappling with the aftermath of strikes, budget cuts, and shifting audience habits.

For now, the Dome is back, and Stewart is openly rooting for its success. Her comment, crass as it may sound, is actually a declaration of love - the kind of tough love that only a true believer in cinema can offer. She wants the Dome to thrive, but she wants it to do so on its own terms, not as a sanitized theme park version of itself. The hope, as she suggests, is that the people in charge have the sense to let the building and its history do the heavy lifting. And if they do, they might just earn a repeat visit from one of Hollywood’s most unpredictable, and most sincere, movie evangelists.

The Cinerama Dome is currently open for limited screenings, with a full schedule expected in the coming weeks. Stewart has not announced any plans to attend future events, but given her outspoken support, no one would be surprised to see her in the crowd, popcorn in hand, watching the screen and hoping for the best.

Source: Hollywood Reporter