The Aquarium of the Pacific’s Ocean Theater has transformed into a new immersive, holographic experience that will soon be available for visitors to enjoy, aquarium officials announced on Thursday, Sept. 3.
This new theater experience, dubbed HoloTheater, will bring to life the animals shown on screen without any glasses, virtual reality headsets or other wearable technology needed to experience the film in 3-D. It will officially open to the public on Friday, Sept. 4.
Developed by BASE Xperiential, a live entertainment and media company based in Houston, Texas, the HoloTheater installation uses six projection surfaces in a custom-designed theater to bring creatures, their environments and stories to life, according to a press release.
The theater combines panoramic projection, holographic imagery and spatial audio, aquarium officials said, allowing up to 132 guests to get an up-close-and-personal glimpse of the ecosystems of past and present.
The HoloTheater is opening with “Dinosaur Discoveries: A Holographic Adventure,” which transports audiences across prehistoric landscapes to encounter dinosaurs. The educational journey tells the evolving story of paleontological discoveries and scientific revelations that we know today, such as the discovery of feathered dinosaurs.
The Aquarium of the Pacific’s new HoloTheater, an immersive, holographic experience in Long Beach on Thursday, September 3, 2026. (Photo by Drew A. Kelley, Press-Telegram/SCNG)
The Aquarium of the Pacific’s new HoloTheater, an immersive, holographic experience in Long Beach on Thursday, September 3, 2026. (Photo by Drew A. Kelley, Press-Telegram/SCNG)
The Aquarium of the Pacific’s new HoloTheater, an immersive, holographic experience in Long Beach on Thursday, September 3, 2026. (Photo by Drew A. Kelley, Press-Telegram/SCNG)
The Aquarium of the Pacific President and CEO Jeff Flocked speaks during the opening of the HoloTheater, an immersive, holographic experience in Long Beach on Thursday, September 3, 2026. (Photo by Drew A. Kelley, Press-Telegram/SCNG)
The Aquarium of the Pacific’s new HoloTheater, an immersive, holographic experience in Long Beach on Thursday, September 3, 2026. (Photo by Drew A. Kelley, Press-Telegram/SCNG)
The entrance to the Aquarium of the Pacific’s new HoloTheater, an immersive, holographic experience in Long Beach on Thursday, September 3, 2026. (Photo by Drew A. Kelley, Press-Telegram/SCNG)
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The Aquarium of the Pacific’s new HoloTheater, an immersive, holographic experience in Long Beach on Thursday, September 3, 2026. (Photo by Drew A. Kelley, Press-Telegram/SCNG)
“We’re very excited; we’ve never had anything like this at the aquarium before,” aquarium President and CEO Jeff Flocken said in a Thursday interview. “We have a VR experience upstairs, but it requires a headset; it’s very much a solo experience. For this, you can have your entire family, watch the movie, and feel like you’re part of this dinosaur discovery and education.”
Multiple showtimes will run daily at the aquarium. Tickets for the holographic cinematic experience are $12 and can be purchased with aquarium admission on-site or in advance online, aquarium officials said.
“We are very excited to be here partnering with the Aquarium of the Pacific, one of the finest institutions in the country,” said Dominic Roncace, president of BASE Xperiential. “When you take a look at an aspect of the Aquarium of the Pacific’s mission statement, it’s to create a sense of wonder while they educate and entertain their patrons at their exhibits, and that is exactly what BASE Xperiential does with the HoloTheater.”
The 25-minute films are produced by BASE Xperiential, in partnership with Paquin Entertainment Group, and distributed in collaboration with MacGillivray Freeman Films. The partnership with BASE Xperiential began a year ago when aquarium Chief of Operations John Rouse met with the company to bring the experience to the West Coast, officials said.
Later this fall, “Ocean Giants Revealed” will debut in the aquarium’s HoloTheater, with guests submerging themselves into the world of the deep sea, where few have traveled and witness the beauty and diversity of marine species both past and present, including whales, sea jellies, megalodon and other prehistoric sea creatures.
“The HoloTheater will be an exciting educational offering for all of our guests here at the Aquarium of the Pacific,” said Nicole Meek, senior director of visitor operations at the Aquarium of the Pacific. “It is our hope that guests leave the theater inspired to learn more about the ocean animals that lived on our planet at the same time as dinosaurs and are still with us today, such as sea jellies and sharks.”