Tampa's Museum of Science and Industry is reopening its shuttered IMAX theater in 2025.
The multimillion-dollar project ensures that MOSI will be staying in its current location on East Fowler Avenue, across from the University of South Florida Tampa campus.
When MOSI's Digital Dome Theatre reopens, the new home of the Saunders Planetarium will be the second largest theater of its kind in the U.S.
"It would be the largest if I had the ability to stretch the dome by 3 feet," MOSI president and CEO John Graydon Smith said during a Wednesday news conference.
Smith doesn't really care that a similar theater in New Jersey is just a tad bigger. He said it will be big enough to ensure that the kids in the area will be able to enjoy this learning experience.
The current MOSI planetarium can hold 45 people. The new facility will seat over 300.
"The Hillsborough school district has committed to sending every fourth-grader through MOSI on a field trip going forward," Smith said. "So we can now accommodate all that foot traffic so every kid in the area has the opportunity to have this life-changing experience."
Smith also said the new theater means that, despite any rumors, MOSI is planning to stay where it is.
"I've been here two years and am tired of having people ask me when we're moving downtown or when are we reopening," Smith said. "We're here, as you can see. We're surrounded by kids. We're seeing a quarter of a million visitors a year."
A combination of foundation, private and county support will fund the new MOSI digital theater.
