Progress is being made on the up to date, high-tech CineDome at Orlando Science Middle. Out are the outdated chairs and old-school movie projector; incoming are new lights, audio system, 8K digital projectors and top-notch display screen to line the eight-story sphere.
For now, the house is crammed with scaffolding for use to put in panels of NanoSeam into their very particular spots.
“We labored it from the highest down, the place we’ll peel this display screen off after which put the brand-new display screen excessive of it,” Stephen Holt, vp for services and displays, mentioned throughout a tour of the theater. That is the longer term residence for the museum’s very-big-screen films, revived laser exhibits and conventional – however fashionable – planetarium displays.
“We’re returning to our roots as a planetarium, and it isn’t simply the identical outdated planetarium present,” mentioned JoAnn Newman, president and CEO of Orlando Science Middle.
“It’s superb what may be finished,” she mentioned. “We’re going to fly you thru the universe. We will go to planets. We may do black holes, no matter form of astronomical occasions you possibly can think about.”
The curved metal construction of the dome was inspected and licensed as sturdy. Earlier than the brand new display screen is connected – a course of that can take about 28 days, Holt mentioned – a set of eight 7-foot-tall audio system might be mounted to the body.
The overhaul is predicted to be accomplished within the spring of 2026. Dr. Phillips Charities made a $1 million greenback donation to the museum’s Unlock Science marketing campaign for the renovation, and the theater might be often called the Dome by Dr. Phillips Charities.
The theater had largely remained the identical because it opened with the science middle’s Loch Haven Park facility in 1997.
“It’s going to grow to be this magical place for storytelling,” Newman mentioned.
“Then we have now to resolve what content material we need to lean into. We’ll begin with astronomy and planetarium, as a result of it’s so cool, however there’s simply a lot taking place.” she mentioned. Among the many choices are patching into different museums’ displays and exhibiting planetarium exhibits designed regionally. The theater may play host to scientific demonstrations and musical acts backed by the brand new display screen.
The theater’s digital replace “permits us to convey laser-light exhibits again, which can be form of a part of our historical past,” mentioned Jeff Stanford, vp for advertising. “There’s a complete technology that grew up going to Pink Floyd [laser shows] on the John Younger Museum and Planetarium, so we’re going to fulfill that crowd, too.”
The modifications will current recent choices in distinctive methods.
“That is positively an expertise you can’t get at residence,” Stanford mentioned.
Proper now, there’s a gap in the course of the seating space the place the digital projector used to merge from the decrease stage. New seats are going all through the theater, together with over that newly obtainable hole, however they are going to be slightly bigger, so the dome’s capability might be related, Newman mentioned.
Prior to now, lower-level guests may see within the projector room and the enormous reels of movie spooling their method up 18 toes into the theater. That house might be transformed right into a classroom and assembly space. Close by might be a robotic merchandising space for snacks. The theater might be fronted by a big LED display screen selling upcoming dome occasions and showings.
“If it’s space-related content material, it might be from the James Webb [Space] Telescope. If it’s oceans, we could have humpback whales – simply actually lovely nonetheless pictures,” Holt mentioned.
The ultimate toes of movie ran via the science middle’s projector in August. That gear was picked up by an organization set to refurbish it for components for the few movie projectors nonetheless in use.
“There are a few totally different establishments which can be taking a look at housing it to grow to be a museum piece,” Holt mentioned.