PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — The Franklin Institute will not reopen its IMAX theater, which has been closed since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The domed Tuttleman Theater was one of the last remaining IMAX theaters in Philadelphia, showing both educational films and popular releases. Franklin Institute President and CEO Larry Dubinski says it was state of the art when it opened in 1990.
However, he adds, the theater’s obsolete technology and infrastructure would have to be replaced, which would be costly. “It’s not a viable business option for us to have it,” said Dubinski.
“The Franklin Institute has always been focused on providing exceptional experiences, and the IMAX theater was no longer able to provide that,” he explained. “Some of the projection systems have changed. Even people's habits of how they watch and get their media and their movies has changed.”
Instead, Dubinski says, the money will be reinvested elsewhere in the museum.
“We are in the process of building and redoing six new exhibitions plus a new collections gallery,” he said. The first exhibit, an $8.5 million attraction centered on space exploration and rocket technology, opened on Nov. 4.
The museum also renovated its Fels Planetarium, according to Dubinski, and installed a new 8K projection system.