Disney Sends 'Star Wars' to Cosm's Domes in Multiyear Film Deal

The original "Star Wars" will screen inside Cosm's 87-foot-diameter domes starting in March, under a multiyear, multifilm deal between the immersive entertainment company and The Walt Disney Company announced Thursday. Financial terms were not disclosed.

The timing is deliberate. March puts the run just ahead of the Academy Award-winning film's 50th anniversary in May — exactly the kind of moment Cosm hunts for.

"We are thrilled to add the Disney partnership," Alexis Scalice, head of Cosm Studios, told CNBC. "We do look for those opportunities of these like anniversary and commemorative moments. We look for those opportunities to celebrate with the fans, but also find this mutually beneficial partnership between both parties."

What will audiences actually see?

Each Cosm dome uses stadium-style seating, with booths and tables set on each level. The screen's width fills much of a viewer's periphery, creating the sensation of standing inside the film rather than watching it.

For "Star Wars," the film itself will play in a large rectangle at the center of the dome while the surrounding surface is transformed into the movie's iconic locations: Tatooine, Yavin IV and the Death Star. Cosm is also building supplemental effects designed to make audiences feel like they're traveling at lightspeed or getting trapped in the film's intergalactic trash compactor.

The presentation isn't a simple upscaling. Cosm is working directly with Lucasfilm and Industrial Light & Magic, plus creative studio MakeMake, on the visuals and the sound mix.

"We look for those moments where sound, music ... listening to Darth Vader's breath for the first time ... you feel those moments differently in an 87-foot diameter dome and 12k resolution with the sound system we have," Scalice said. "And it's one of the things that with experiential cinema and our technology that we were so excited and honestly privileged that we can take these defining moments for fans and work closely with our partners that doesn't really change the authenticity of it, it just enhances it in a different manner."

How deep is Cosm's Hollywood bench?

Disney becomes Cosm's sixth theatrical collaboration. The company has already partnered with Warner Bros. to bring four titles to its locations:

• "The Matrix"
• "Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory"
• "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone"
• "It"

A fifth title, Universal's "Shrek," launches in immersive screenings in December.

The premium format comes with themed food service, a playbook Cosm has already run. For "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone," guests received house-made shepherd's pie, pretzel wands with cheese dip and a box of Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans served throughout the screening.

Why does fandom drive the business model?

Cosm is positioning itself as a destination for fandom in both sports and film. Beyond its movie library, the company telecasts live events using proprietary cameras mounted inside arenas that broadcast back to the domes.

"What I love is that we really are kind of building these Cosm communities built on fandom," Scalice said. "It's the No. 1 foundation for our business."

Star Wars is about as strong a fandom as the market offers. The franchise ranks among the top pieces of intellectual property across film, television and retail annually. Disney is planning a large semicentennial push that includes merchandise launches, theatrical re-releases, its biannual Star Wars Celebration convention and brand collaborations.

For Cosm, landing Disney — with a multifilm commitment, not a one-off screening — gives the dome operator a stake in one of the year's biggest entertainment anniversaries and a studio partner with a deep library to mine for future runs.