New seats are being installed, soundproofing updated and a fresh curved screen installed as the CineDome at Orlando Science Center is poised for a late May reopening.
Although the footprint of the domed theater is unchanged, it will house more seats, plus they’re wider than the original ones, says Stephen Holt, vice president of facilities and exhibits.
“We were 22-inch [wide] seats. We’re now 24-inch seats. They’re more comfortable,” Holt says. “They have cup holders, which we didn’t have before, because we’re now going to allow food and drink inside.”
The theater’s capacity ticks up from 309 to 315 audience members, perhaps counterintuitively since the space itself didn’t change. Thanks to the removal of the booth for its outdated, oversized film projector – replaced with eight new discretely sized digital projectors – there’s room for more chairs.
That’s just part of the $7 million overhaul, which also includes speakers and Nanoseam-panel screen already in place.
Work began in August after the final frames looped through the projector, which had been installed when Orlando Science Center opened in 1997.
“It is a top-to-bottom renovation,” says Jeff Stanford, vice president for marketing for the museum, located in Loch Haven Park.
Getting the seats unboxed, assembled and installed is a three-day job for workers. The seat backs are tilted for best viewing according to their position within the theater, where moviegoers are aimed upward at the curved screen.
“It gives you the optimal viewing angle, depending on where you are in the row, to be able to see the content,” Holt says.
“There’s really not a bad view in the house,” he says. “Sure, depending on where you’re sitting, you may see something that’s a little different because your focus is going to be elsewhere. But the way that the shows are designed to project on the screen, your eyes are really drawn to the action.”
Next steps include completion of new soundproofing materials on the walls, finishing the flooring and balancing the sound system, which cannot be done until the seats are in place.
When it’s finished, the science center will show giant films as well as revive its planetarium shows, which have been out of the lineup for decades, and laser light shows, staples of Orlando nightlife in the 1970s and ‘80s, particularly one featuring Pink Floyd.
“The library is so extensive we can now do contemporary music and much better effects than we used to,” Stanford says.
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Other additions within the project are a new lobby with video wall, automated concessions and a classroom space carved out from the lower-level resting place of the old projector.
Exact dates for the opening or previews have not been announced.
Although folks were sentimental about the old theater, it was time for a facelift, Stanford says. Changes in movie-going habits and the ways that the public views entertainment played a role, too, he says.
“It’s very important for us to stay relevant and competitive,” Stanford says.