Fort Worth’s Omni IMAX will reopen in 2024 as an all-new 8K digitally immersive dome
The Fort Worth Museum of Science and History confirmed Monday that it will proceed with a $21 million overhaul of its shuttered Omni Theater IMAX to convert the dome into an immersive 8K LED venue.
Construction will begin in May on the new Jane & John Justin Foundation Omni Theater to include a total renovation to the lobby and the removal of the old IMAX projector system. The theater’s new dome will be lined with digital panels — similar to a massive, curved flatscreen TV — that will allow for interactive, high-definition experiences. It will be the world’s first LED digital dome of its size in a museum.
The theater on Montgomery Street, built in 1983 as Fort Worth’s only IMAX, abruptly shut down in March 2020 when the pandemic began. The Star-Telegram reported in December that the nonprofit museum had raised 80 percent of the money it needed to begin construction.
The digital dome technology is coming from Cosm, a Los Angeles-based company that has produced large-scale digital immersive and virtual reality experiences at planetariums and a variety of other venues across the globe.
Cosm plans to build its second Cosm-branded public entertainment venue at Grandscape in The Colony, north of Dallas. Cosm’s first such venue is under construction in Hollywood Park in Los Angeles. The company was founded in 2020 by Dallas-based Mirasol Capital through a series of acquisitions of businesses in spatial computing, engineering and immersive video production.
Byrne Construction Services, the builders for the original Omni IMAX Theater, will be the general contractor for the project, with Bennett Partners providing architectural design services, the museum said.
The project will take about 16 months.
“We are excited to bring extraordinary learning to life through the installation of a brand-new, next generation digital 8K LED dome together with a much-needed modernization of our theater thereby delivering a complete transformation of the guest experience,” said Orlando Carvalho, president of the museum, in a statement.
Over the decades, theater visitors were treated to the “Fort Worth Flyover” IMAX video as well as events, documentaries and Hollywood films. The new theater will be able to bring science to life for visiting schoolchildren, as well as host corporate events and occasional big movies.
“For so many, the Omni Theater is synonymous with nostalgia, community, wonder and fun,” Carvalho said. “This renovation will bring all of those emotions to our future guests and continue the museum’s tradition of interpreting the science and the stories of Texas and the Southwest.”
Funding for the project includes The Amon Carter Foundation, The Jane & John Justin Foundation, Leo Potishman Trust, The Burnett Foundation, William F. Scott Foundation, The Paul E. Andrews Foundation and The Ryan Foundation.
The city of Fort Worth is contributing $5 million, and Tarrant County is funding $3 million.
Jeb Terry, CEO and president at Cosm, visited the IMAX as a kid growing up in the Metroplex.
“I have fond memories of visiting the Fort Worth Museum of Science and History as a child and will never forget visiting the Omni for the first time,” he said in a statement. “I am honored to partner with them now to help inspire and entertain guests for decades to come. Cosm’s technology and content capabilities will empower the Museum to deliver next-level experiences, and I look forward to seeing how the new Omni Theater leaves museum-goers in complete wonder and awe — just as it did for me years ago.”
