It’s a rough moment for Seattle movie fans. The Boeing IMAX Theater, recently renamed IMAX at the Center Theater, will no longer show feature films—at least not in 2026. For years, the theater was the go-to IMAX theater for serious filmgoers thanks to its massive 60-foot-tall screen, advanced dual 4K laser projection system, and rare 1.43:1 IMAX format that lets audiences see movies exactly as directors intended.
That setup made the theater one of only a handful in the country (and the only one in the Seattle area) capable of showing certain IMAX movies in their full expanded aspect ratio, such as Dune 2 and Oppenheimer. According to a list published by IMAX in September 2025, only eight theaters in the U.S. showed One Battle After Another on this type of screen.
The change comes after ownership of the theater shifted earlier this year. Pacific Science Center, which had been struggling financially, sold the theater and nearby property to the Space Needle for $17.25 million. The theater has been closed since February for renovations, and while work is expected to wrap up soon, there’s still no official reopening date.
When it does reopen, the experience will be a little different. Instead of screening major feature films, the theater will instead focus on shorter documentary programming. That means Seattle audiences are losing one of the region’s premier destinations for blockbuster IMAX releases.
“We maintain the right to offer feature films, but there are no immediate plans to show features in 2026,” Amy Cunningham, public relations director for the Space Needle, told The Seattle Times. “The renovations and experience will continue to grow and evolve through the remainder of the year. Our short-term plans are to focus on IMAX documentary films, including ‘Deep Sky’ and ‘Roll the Dice,’ a film that has come together in collaboration with IMAX and Chihuly Studio.”
Film fans still have another option for upcoming IMAX releases, though. Pacific Science Center continues to operate its slightly smaller PACCAR IMAX Theater, which will keep showing feature films. However, that theater has a smaller screen and doesn’t support the same IMAX format that made the Boeing theater a favorite for Seattle-area film buffs. For that, you’ll have to travel out of state to California or across the border to Victoria, B.C. to find the next-closest option.
