Cosm rides the premium movie boom with more immersive screenings

The next highlight of premium large-format theater viewing is inspired by the stars.

Cosm, an immersive entertainment technology company, has begun programming planetariums. Its name is a combination of “cosmos” and “colosseum”. The company’s giant domed screens first offered guests views of space, but now they mimic courtside seating at sports venues around the world and transport moviegoers into some of Hollywood’s most iconic sets.

At a time when the theater industry is experiencing its greatest growth with Premium Large Format (PLF) ticket sales, Cosm aims to provide a new perspective on the viewing experience. And it is rapidly expanding both its footprint and content library.

Since 2024, Cosm has opened four theaters in Los Angeles, Dallas, Atlanta, and the greater Detroit area, with a Cleveland hub scheduled to open in 2027. These experimental venues screen live games in arena-like environments and capture the attention of sports fans. Cosm said screenings often sell out.

Recently, Cosm has partnered with Hollywood studios like Warner Bros. and is currently sky dance“The Matrix,” “Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory,” “Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone,” “It” and more will be brought to the location. Cosm recently signed an agreement with universalwill welcome “Shrek” to the Dome in December.

The deal marks a profitable new chapter for privately held Cosm, expanding audience reach and viewing opportunities beyond timed live events.

As a private company, Cosm does not disclose its financial details. Ticket prices start at $18 for matinees and about $70 for prime seats or popular screenings. This does not include any additional charges for benefits or special themed menus associated with the screening.

sony invested $100 million in the company in June, taking a minority stake and adding Ravi Ahuja, chairman and CEO of Sony Pictures Entertainment, to its board of directors.

Cosm also counts Cosm Chairman Steve Wynn’s company, Mirasol Capital, among its investors. former Milwaukee Bucks co-owner Mark Lasry’s Avenue Sports Fund; Rock by Dan Gilbert, co-founder of Rocket Mortgage. David Blitzer, managing partner of the New Jersey Devils and Philadelphia 76ers, invested through his company Bolt Ventures.

Jay Levine, Sony’s chief strategy and business operations officer, told CNBC: “We thought there was an opportunity to partner with Cosm, which is currently very early in its growth trajectory and at a very critical stage in its development.” “They have about five locations with a goal of pretty significant expansion. And the real reason we did that was so we could give them a lot of opportunity for growing distribution and an experiential platform that we think has long-term potential.”

Sony has produced several plays in the theater field in recent years. The company acquired the Alamo Drafthouse in 2024 and signed a long-term lease in July of this year to reopen and restore Los Angeles’ iconic Cinerama Dome.

“Our experience strategy is centered around technology, fandom, and new and innovative approaches to content distribution,” Levine said. “For us, these differentiated experiences are what it’s all about.”

Cosm’s 87-foot diameter recessed screen puts viewers right in the middle of the action, whether it’s an NFL game or inside the world of The Matrix. The company’s upcoming location in Cleveland will feature an even larger dome, 100 feet in diameter.

The experience is ball This Las Vegas venue has been a hot spot for high-profile concerts and events since opening in 2023.

“People love living what they love in fandom the same way they love wearing sports jerseys,” Cosm Studios head Alexis Scalice told CNBC. “And I’m so happy to see something similar happening in film.”

There is stadium-style seating inside each Cosm Dome, with booths and tables on each level. The width of the dome is such that it fills most of the viewer’s surroundings, giving the viewer the feeling of being part of the on-screen environment.

The Los Angeles and Dallas locations each have a capacity of approximately 350 seats, while the new domes in Atlanta and Detroit have up to 500 available seats. Cosm did not disclose seating capacity at the Cleveland store, but the larger screen is expected to increase the number of seats.

For live sporting events, Cosm installs special cameras in the arena and broadcasts them to the dome, creating the illusion of being in the stadium.

For theatrical production, the film is played in a large rectangle in the center of the dome, with the background deformed and the scene extended.

For example, in Cosm’s presentation of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, the iconic scene in which thousands of Hogwarts admission letters rush through the fireplace and into the living room, with animated envelopes swarming in the background.

Cosm partnered with experiential production company Little Cinema and creative studio MakeMake to create the visuals and environments for each scene of the film that will be shown inside the Dome. From storyboarding to post-production, the process can take up to a year as Cosm, participating studios, and visual effects artists create and render each moment.

“We’re working hard to keep the story intact, so the movie remains the hero of the story,” Scalise said. “We are working closely with Warner Bros. and our creative partners to ensure that the story is not compromised, while enhancing those moments for greater emotional response.”

With the exception of 2017’s IT, Cosm’s previous theatrical offerings have been films that were released decades ago and typically have long-standing fan bases.

This helps Cosm tap into what Scalise calls the “nostalgia factor,” which is that “the parents who come there… grew up watching this and want to share it with their kids.”

“We can reinvigorate these legendary films,” she added.

Cosm has dabbled in genres like horror, fantasy, and science fiction, as well as demographics like family and R-rated. “Shrek,” scheduled for release Dec. 16, will be the film’s first foray into animation.

“The amazing thing about this product is that at first everyone thought it would work for sports, and then when you look at what they’ve done, a lot of titles like ‘Harry Potter’ and ‘Shrek,’ the fill rates are actually unbelievable,” Sony’s Levine said.

Studio and theater organizers alike are looking for innovative ways to introduce Hollywood productions to moviegoers, especially as major shifts in viewing habits disrupt business.

In the post-pandemic era, the movie theater space has been defined by fewer screens and fewer movie audiences, but that decline has been masked by soaring movie ticket prices, especially for the PLF experience.

These noble products — think imax, dolby cinemaScreenX and 4DX — have bigger screens and better sound, or introduce unique experiences like moving seats and fog machines. It’s especially popular with Gen Z and Millennials who aren’t yet spooked by rising average ticket prices.

According to data from EntTelligence, the average price of a standard movie ticket is about $13, while premium tickets average more than $18 each.

Prices for Cosm events vary by showtime and venue, but on average they’re “more expensive than anyone really thought,” Sony’s Levine said.

Cosm’s sports productions can be viewed at a low cost from outside the dome, from viewing areas in the auditorium and deck, but plays can only be viewed inside the dome.

“There’s nothing wrong with selling these tickets because people want to experience these things, like immersive formats,” said Mike Polidoros, CEO of movie marketing company Paper Airplane Media. “That’s something you can’t get at home.”