{"id":199097,"date":"2026-03-20T12:37:06","date_gmt":"2026-03-20T12:37:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/199097\/"},"modified":"2026-03-20T12:37:06","modified_gmt":"2026-03-20T12:37:06","slug":"new-seats-in-for-cinedome-renovation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/199097\/","title":{"rendered":"New seats in for CineDome renovation"},"content":{"rendered":"

New seats are being installed, soundproofing updated and a fresh curved screen installed as the CineDome at Orlando Science Center<\/a> is poised for a late May reopening.<\/p>\n

Although the footprint of the domed theater is unchanged, it will house more seats, plus they\u2019re wider than the original ones, says Stephen Holt, vice president of facilities and exhibits.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe were 22-inch [wide] seats. We\u2019re now 24-inch seats. They\u2019re more comfortable,\u201d Holt says. \u201cThey have cup holders, which we didn\u2019t have before, because we\u2019re now going to allow food and drink inside.\u201d<\/p>\n

The theater\u2019s capacity ticks up from 309 to 315 audience members, perhaps counterintuitively since the space itself didn\u2019t change. Thanks to the removal of the booth for its outdated, oversized film projector \u2013 replaced with eight new discretely sized digital projectors \u2013 there\u2019s room for more chairs.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s just part of the $7 million overhaul, which also includes speakers and Nanoseam-panel screen already in place.<\/p>\n

Work began in August after the final frames looped through the projector, which had been installed when Orlando Science Center opened in 1997.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is a top-to-bottom renovation,\u201d says Jeff Stanford, vice president for marketing for the museum, located in Loch Haven Park.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt gives you the optimal viewing angle, depending on where you are in the row, to be able to see the content,\u201d Holt says.<\/p>\n

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\u201cThere\u2019s really not a bad view in the house,\u201d he says. \u201cSure, depending on where you\u2019re sitting, you may see something that\u2019s 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.\u201d<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

When it\u2019s 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 \u201880s, particularly one featuring Pink Floyd.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe library is so extensive we can now do contemporary music and much better effects than we used to,\u201d Stanford says.<\/p>\n

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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.<\/p>\n

Exact dates for the opening or previews have not been announced.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s very important for us to stay relevant and competitive,\u201d Stanford says.<\/p>\n

dbevil@orlandosentinel.com<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"New seats are being installed, soundproofing updated and a fresh curved screen installed as the CineDome at Orlando…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":199098,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[558,113,104,28,29,114,266,5077,115,1335,139,141,140,554,109,76687,76689,2411,106,1316,107],"class_list":["post-199097","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-orlando","tag-business","tag-education","tag-entertainment","tag-florida","tag-florida-news","tag-latest-headlines","tag-local-news","tag-movies","tag-news","tag-orange-county","tag-orlando","tag-orlando-headlines","tag-orlando-news","tag-science","tag-social","tag-social-entertainment","tag-social-travel","tag-theme-parks","tag-things-to-do","tag-tourism","tag-travel"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/199097","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=199097"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/199097\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/199098"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=199097"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=199097"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=199097"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}