Just mention the unusually shaped building on Sunset Boulevard, with its all-concrete geodesic dome and many Angelenos get a wistful look in their eyes.
The experience, they say, is unparalleled.
“I’ve been to premieres here and seen, like, celebrities,” said Johnny O’Neil, a Hollywood resident.
But since it closed months ago, due to long term COVID-related box office losses, the future of the Cinerama Dome has been uncertain.
“In my opinion, the best movie theater in the world,” said Ben Steinberg.
The 21-year-old writer, director and actor decided to take matters into his own hands. He started an online petition.
“I started tweeting it to different celebrities and they started sharing it,” he said. “So it really took off.”
He said such celebrities include Seth Rogan and Judd Apatow. As of Thursday, the petition had 26,830 signatures.
And that’s a big deal, says Roger Neal of the Hollywood Museum.
“They’re saying, ‘Hey, we don’t want this to go away. We want it to stay,’” he said.
Landmark buildings matter a lot, he says.
The structure is the historic Max Factor building off North Highland Avenue.
He puts the dome on a short list of save-worthy buildings that includes Grauman’s Chinese and the Hollywood Bowl.
“These are iconic locations that should always be here because it’s part of Hollywood history,” he said.
Decurion, the parent company of Arclight, which owns the dome, did not return a call seeking comment.
The petition is asking other entities for help.
It calls out Amazon, Walt Disney Studios, Apple and Netflix to “save the dome.” Just the signature count alone keeps his hope alive.
“It actually makes me feel really happy to know other people are just like me,” Steinberg said.
Source: NBC Los Angeles
Be First to Comment