Fort Worth’s $22M Omni immersive dome theater by Cosm is nearly done. Take a look inside.
Walking into the Fort Worth Museum of Science and History’s newly renovated Omni dome is unlike anything in this world.
For nearly 40 years, the museum’s Omni IMAX Theater dazzled moviegoers by projecting images on its 180-degree ceiling. The theater, built in 1983 as Fort Worth’s only IMAX, shut down in March 2020 when the COVID-19 pandemic began.
Over the last 18 months, the theater has undergone major renovations to transform into an 8K LED immersive dome made up of nearly 12,000 individual screens.
When the Star-Telegram visited what will now be the Jane & John Justin Foundation Omni Theater in early October, the dome was only about 20% on.
White light radiated from the dome and surrounded the field of view, almost akin to looking out of a plane window while flying through a cloud. Visually taking in the entire dome takes several moments.
No projector is needed in the 78-foot diameter dome. Instead, the LED panels are controlled by computers in a nearby server room. Audio-wise, speakers are attached to and placed all over the backside of the dome to help beam sound waves onto guests through perforated panels.
The sound and picture combine to create an experience wholly unique to the museum, said Tammy McKinney, museum vice president of development and marketing.
In fact, when the theater opens in late November, it will be historic among those in museums.
“First dome of its type and size in the world,” McKinney said.
A project four years in the making
After going dark during the pandemic, conversations began in 2021 about what was next for the theater.
The museum found a partner in Cosm, a Los Angeles-based technology company. Cosm specializes in experiential and immersive dome technology and opened its first two public venues this year, including one in The Colony.
With a contractor on board, the museum began fundraising the $22 million project in 2022.
By spring 2023, the museum officially announced the full-scale renovation project that also included plans for a revamped lobby to meet today’s accessibility standards.
Byrne Construction Services, which built the original IMAX theater in 1983, returned for the 18-month renovation project that got underway in May 2023.
An inside look at the new Omni Theater
Before guests walk into the remodeled theater, they’ll be treated to a newly renovated lobby that can fit up to 300 people.
Previously, there were no restrooms on the theater level, meaning that guests had to go back into the museum, McKinney said. Now the level has its own set of restrooms in the corner of the lobby, where offices used to be.
The columns and some of the walls in the lobby used to be a mix of orange, white and purple. Crews ended up toning back the purple, adding blue and then matching the goldenrod yellow already found throughout the museum.
Walking into the theater, guests will find all-new seating.
The first three rows have been eliminated to accommodate a stage space at the base of the dome, McKinney said. The old fabric seats have been taken out and trashed.
In total, there will be 278 larger, more comfortable seats with cup holders.
As far as programming in the dome, McKinney said it will differ throughout the day.
In the morning, the dome will show more educational content for the field trip crowd. In the afternoon, guests can expect more general content, such as primatologist Jane Goodall’s new documentary “Reasons for Hope.”
Currently, there are no plans to screen feature films or sporting events at the dome, which are a staple of Cosm’s two locations in Inglewood and The Colony.
Unlike the old IMAX theater, which used large kitchen table-sized film reels, the new dome can essentially do anything a cell phone can, McKinney said.
For example, a teacher could give a presentation on the dome or video call in a speaker to talk to students.
“The dome is completely interactive,” McKinney said.
Out with the old, and in with new
While the museum isn’t saving the old theater seats, it will preserve a few relics.
The IMAX projector, numerous films and a few additional items have been saved and will be part of a new exhibit on how the Omni Theater originally started, McKinney said.
Another thing sticking around is the Fort Worth flyover video, which many a young museum visitor saw over the years.
The original video debuted in 1983 as part of the “The Legend of the Sleeping Panther” multimedia presentation on the history of Fort Worth. The flyover of 1980s downtown Fort Worth played on every feature at the theater since 1984.
An updated version of the flyover is in the works and will play at the dome, McKinney said.
All in all, the museum is looking forward to expanding its educational capabilities with the dome, McKinney said.
Dome tickets will go live closer to opening, as the museum anticipates a surge of interest. The museum has already heard from a few conventions that are interested in coming to Fort Worth because of the dome, McKinney said.
Just like the museum made history by building the first IMAX theater in Fort Worth over 40 years ago, it will soon do it again with the first 8K LED dome of its size in a museum.
“We’re really excited,” McKinney said.
This story was originally published October 19, 2024 at 6:00 AM.
