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HISTORY The Seattle Cinerama opened in 1963 as Seattle's Martin Cinerama as a showcase for the Eponymous Technology , but was retrofitted a few months later to also show 70mm Film s on its huge curved screen. The movie house soon became specialized in showing such Kitsch spectaculars as '' The Wonderful World Of The Brothers Grimm '' and '' It's A Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World .'' Unfortunately, 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 play second-run movies after being taken over by Cineplex Odeon on a reduced rent, month-to-month basis. The turnaround began in 1997 when developers revealed plans to turn the Cinerama into a dinner theater or a rock-climbing club. This sparked a grassroots effort to save the historic venue, with local film buffs circulating petitions and issuing an urgent cry for help, which was answered by Multi-billionaire Paul G. Allen , himself a movie fan and frequent patron of the theater during its 1960s heyday. Allen purchased the theater and initiated a comprehensive, multi-million dollar restoration. The grand re-opening occurred in 1999 . Since then, the theater has played both classical movies and select new productions. {Link without Title} THE THEATER TODAY The renovation restored the look of a great mid-20th century movie house, and also saw the installation of state-of-the-art technology and .'' For screenings of modern 70mm/35mm first-run movies, however, a second screen sits immediately in front of its massive counterpart. This smaller screen can be disassembled in a matter of hours when necessary for Cinerama presentations. Currently, the Seattle Cinerama is one of three movie theaters in the world still capable of showing three-panel Cinerama films. The other two are the Cinerama Dome at ArcLight Cinemas in Los Angeles , and the Pictureville Cinema at the National Museum Of Photography, Film And Television in Bradford , England . {Link without Title} In recent years, the Seattle Cinerama has generally been one of the venues for the .'' SOURCES EXTERNAL LINKS |
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