Shrek returns in the dome as Cosm and Universal start multi-film deal
Shrek will kick off a multi-film partnership between Cosm and Universal, 25 years after the ogre first reached cinemas.
The deal starts with a retooled version of the DreamWorks favourite built for Cosm's domed venues, as reported by Deadline. It is the first title announced under the partnership. More films will follow.
Universal Film, DreamWorks Animation and visual effects studio Reel FX collaborated on the reimagining. It is the first animated film to play at Cosm.
The presentation will keep the traditional 16:9 picture, meaning the familiar widescreen rectangle, at the centre of the screen. Cosm's LED dome around it will stay activated throughout to complement the action. The effect puts the original film in the middle, with light and imagery filling the curve above and around the audience.
Those domes are large. Each measures 87 feet across and uses 12K resolution, an ultra-detailed picture spread over a curved ceiling. Cosm describes the format as Shared Reality, meaning a crowd watching together inside the dome rather than wearing headsets.
Tickets for Shrek will go on sale later this autumn. A premiere date is to be announced in the coming weeks. The run will play across Cosm's current venues.
Cosm was founded in 2020. It operates venues in Inglewood, California; Dallas; and Atlanta, with a Detroit site opened recently. A Cleveland location is scheduled to open next year.
Warner Bros. became the first studio to team with Cosm in 2025 with a new version of The Matrix. That project was made with Warner Bros. Pictures and Little Cinema, and its debut honoured the film's 25th anniversary. Cosm later worked with Warner Bros. on Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone in Shared Reality, with tickets scheduled to go on sale in early 2026, according to Deadline. A horror title, IT in Shared Reality, is billed as the world's first cinematic horror experience in Shared Reality.
The Universal deal lands after fresh backing for Cosm. The company recently received a $100 million investment from Sony Pictures Entertainment.
For fans, this means a familiar film in an unfamiliar room. The story stays the same. The ceiling does not.
