A Brief History Of Seattle's Cinerama

Located in the Belltown neighborhood of Seattle sits one of the world’s most historic theaters: Cinerama. Despite Seattle’s reputation for being the music capital of the U.S. — thanks to bands like Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Fleet Foxes, Death Cab For Cutie, and so on — it also happens to be a bit of a film hub.

Directors like Lynn Shelton (Laggies) and Megan Griffiths (Lucky Them) pioneered Women in Film Seattle, a nonprofit organization offering support and education for women in the industry. Seattle’s film community extends even further with the Seattle International Film Festival. The four-week-long festival — which is the biggest international film festival in the entire country, beating both Los Angeles and New York City — previously featured films like Richard Linklater’s Boyhood, Nick Cassavetes’ The Notebook, and more recently Emily V. Gordon and Kumail Nanjiani’s The Big Sick. And it’s necessary to pay homage to some of the biggest movies and TV series like Sleepless in Seattle, 10 Things I Hate About You, and of course Grey’s Anatomy, which were all filmed in Seattle.

With all this movie buzz around the Pacific Northwest, it’s no surprise that the city holds some of the biggest and best historic theaters around. Cinerama, a name created by the combined effort of cinema and panorama, was built in 1963. Its purpose was to, as its name states, project movies in three-panel Cinerama, a complex process involving an expansive curved screen and three projectors. Only two others exist in the world: Danny Boyle and Steven Spielberg’s favorite theater, Cinerama Dome in Los Angeles, California and Pictureville Cinema in Bradford, England.

Seattle’s Cinerama is capable of much more, too. After three sets of renovations, the theater is fitted for 70mm, 35mm, 3D, and digital formats, which should be exciting for fans of directors like Christopher Nolan and Paul Thomas Anderson, as 70mm is the format both men use when filming. Previous screenings include everything from the 1963 classic It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World to the latest J.K. Rowling installment, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. It may be a one-screen theater, but Cinerama’s calendar carefully curates a mix of old and new in an effort to please moviegoers of all ages.

More film history is accessible inside Cinerama. In its red and blue retro lobby, a rotating display of costumes hang in large glass cases. Provided by the Paul G. Allen Family, original costumes from some of cinema’s biggest films like Star Wars, Blade Runner, and Batman line the back walls. Pair that with a bag of Cinerama’s famous chocolate and butter popcorn and one of the theater’s craft beers, and the moviegoing experience quickly evolves from an everyday outing to cinematic event.

Since you are here, we would like to share our vision for the future of travel - and the direction Culture Trip is moving in.

Culture Trip launched in 2011 with a simple yet passionate mission: to inspire people to go beyond their boundaries and experience what makes a place, its people and its culture special and meaningful — and this is still in our DNA today. We are proud that, for more than a decade, millions like you have trusted our award-winning recommendations by people who deeply understand what makes certain places and communities so special.

Increasingly we believe the world needs more meaningful, real-life connections between curious travellers keen to explore the world in a more responsible way. That is why we have intensively curated a collection of premium small-group trips as an invitation to meet and connect with new, like-minded people for once-in-a-lifetime experiences in three categories: Culture Trips, Rail Trips and Private Trips. Our Trips are suitable for both solo travelers, couples and friends who want to explore the world together.

Culture Trips are deeply immersive 5 to 16 days itineraries, that combine authentic local experiences, exciting activities and 4-5* accommodation to look forward to at the end of each day. Our Rail Trips are our most planet-friendly itineraries that invite you to take the scenic route, relax whilst getting under the skin of a destination. Our Private Trips are fully tailored itineraries, curated by our Travel Experts specifically for you, your friends or your family.

We know that many of you worry about the environmental impact of travel and are looking for ways of expanding horizons in ways that do minimal harm - and may even bring benefits. We are committed to go as far as possible in curating our trips with care for the planet. That is why all of our trips are flightless in destination, fully carbon offset - and we have ambitious plans to be net zero in the very near future.