The Seattle Cinerama opened in 1963 as '''Seattle's Martin Cinerama'
as a showcase for Cinerama. It was retrofitted a few months later to also show 70 mm films on its large curved screen. It soon became specialized in showing such spectaculars as The Wonderful World of the Brothers Grimm and It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World.
Both formats shortly fell out of fashion, and Krakatoa, East of Java'' from 1969 was the last non-standard film to be shown at the Cinerama in the first era of its existence. The following three decades were lean, as the proliferation of suburban multiplex theaters drew movie fans away from the Cinerama. Lackluster ticket sales quickly led to a general decline in the theater's upkeep, until it was relegated to playing second-run movies after being taken over by
Cineplex Odeon on a reduced rent, month-to-month basis. The renovation restored the look of a great mid-20th century movie house, and installed of state-of-the-art technology and
accessibility features. The theater had 808 seats and two screens. The first was a deep curved 90-foot-long, 30-foot-high screen, constructed of 2,000 louvered strips. It is used for presenting rare three-strip films such as
How the West Was Won and 70 mm classics like
Stanley Kubrick's
2001: A Space Odyssey. The deep curved screen is stored in sections behind a smaller screen used for regular screenings of modern 70 mm/35 mm first-run movies. A professional crew is required to dismantle the smaller screen and assemble the larger one for Cinerama and special event presentations.
2010 renovation The theater closed at the end of August 2010 for renovations. During the closure, a new digital projection and sound system was added, including support for the screening of
3-D films. A new screen was also installed, the
concessions area updated, new carpeting and paint, and a new
marquee and
signage outside. It reopened on November 20, for a screening of
The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1. This third renovation of Cinerama included many changes. The theater's capacity was reduced from 798 to 560 seats (a stated 390 on the Main Level and 170 in the Balcony, however only 546 tickets are generally available for purchase), allowing for more leg room and wider seats. The number of speakers was increased to 110 from the original 65, with some accompanying acoustical changes. A
Dolby Atmos sound system and a Christie 6P dual laser projector were installed (the latter being the world's first commercial installation).
2020 renovation and closure Paul Allen died in 2018. The theater closed for a fourth renovation in February 2020, and all but two of its staff were laid off. Planned updates included new carpeting and kitchen equipment. A reopening date was expected to be within the 2020 calendar year. In May 2020, the Seattle Cinerama, citing the economic effects of the
COVID-19 pandemic, announced that it would remain closed for the foreseeable future. A petition to save and reopen the theater was launched in October 2021, ultimately garnering over 12,000 signatures.
Sale to SIFF The Allen estate sold the theater to the
Seattle International Film Festival (SIFF) in May 2023 for $4.5 million. The fee was paid through a loan from Far Star Ventures, who had previously helped SIFF acquire the
Uptown Theater in 2014; proceeds from the future sale of
air rights over the property are planned to be split between SIFF and the Allen estate. SIFF reopened the theater months before the festival's 50th anniversary in 2024; the reopened cinema no longer carried the Cinerama name due to licensing issues. The
Seattle City Council approved a $950,000 grant to SIFF to fund the reopening of the Cinerama. The
Metropolitan King County Council approved their own $1 million grant a week later that would draw from unused state and federal pandemic relief funds. The first screening at the reopened theater was the private premiere of
The Boys in the Boat on December 7, 2023. The theater fully reopened on December 14 under the name SIFF Cinema Downtown with a screening of
Wonka. ==Festivals and events held at Cinerama==