Dome theaters have been around for decades but have been undergoing a resurgence in recent years. Many old domes received a digital upgrade and new digital dome theaters being built for theme parks and attractions.
Large domes deliver the greatest sense of awe and wonder for immersive experiences and mean that hundreds can share these thrills together. Domes, when combined with moving seats and motion platforms transform projection from a 2D show to a 3D, 4D or flying cinematic experience. We strongly believe that well-designed and constructed digital domes theaters will play a significant role in the future of entertainment.
Let’s have a glance at some of the biggest digital dome theaters around the world!
What is 360 dome theater?
Fulldome.pro 360 dome theater is a new format of seeing and showing things, where a 360 VR immersive experience is not individualized, but actually, a shared social activity.
MSI Giant Dome Theater — Chicago, USA
Source: msichicago.org
The Museum of Science and Industry’s Giant Dome Theatre, in Chicago, Illinois, was converted from an IMAX film projector to a 3-projector, 6K laser system in 2017.
The five-storey (22 meters) wrap-around dome screen now has the clearest, brightest, and most colorful picture the MSI has ever presented and delivers an amazing viewing experience that will blow your mind.
L'Hemisferic — Valencia, Spain
L’Hemisfèric is at the heart of Valencia’s huge La Ciutat de les Arts i les Ciències (City of Arts and Sciences) complex. Completed in 1998, the 24-meter dome is located beneath a sweeping, 100 meter-long, ovoid roof so that the complete structure resembles an all-seeing, all-knowing eye – especially when reflected in the waters of the pool surrounding it.
The IMAX dome uses five laser projectors for stunning planetarium shows and other immersive audio-visual content.
Rotary Park 4D Theater — Jeju, South Korea
Source: archive of fulldome.pro
With 130 reclined moving seats under a 20-meter diameter screen, the Rotary Park 4D Theater at the Jeju Shinhwa World Theme Park is one of the biggest 4D dome theaters in the world.
The Head in The Stars® system from CL Corporation provides fully-immersive motion seating with a range of sensory effects and uses a negative-pressure dome, projection system, and media Server from Fulldome.pro to provide breathtaking picture-quality.
The audience has an almost 180º field of view, such that the screen disappears and the image, surround sound and effects fill the viewers’ minds, for a complete escape to another world.
FROM IDEA TO REALITY: JEJU SHINHWA WORLD
Jeju Shinhwa World* has become one of the most visited place on Jeju Island.
Science Museum of Minnesota — Saint Paul, USA
Source: smm.org
At 30 meters (90 feet) in diameter, the Omnitheater at the Science Museum of Minnesota in St.Paul, USA, is clearly one of the biggest dome theaters in the world.
It is the only RoDo screen in the world, meaning the dome that can be rotated back over the audience (like the visor on a motorbike helmet) to reveal a regular screen for flat-film projection.
In 2019 it became one of the first domes in the world to convert to IMAX digital technology, making the vast and ever-growing inventory of digital dome content available to the twin cities.
Futuroscope — Poitiers, France
Source: futuroscope.com
The Futuroscope theme park in Poitiers, France, about 300 km southwest of Paris the is based on futuristic multimedia, cinema, audio-visual and robotic technology.
With multiple domes, it is the only venue in the world to have regular planetarium-like shows, 3D and 4D movies, and flying theater rides in one location.
The flying carpet style show comes with a screen on the floor to give the sensation of floating while watching the movie. For total screen surface area in one place, Futuroscope is hard to beat.
Dome Theaters offer a thrilling and immersive experience either as a stand-alone theater or a simulation ride.
The popularity of dome theaters has increased in recent years. Due to this, I believe it will be a major part of the success of community-based entertainment in the future.
