Aquarium of the Pacific plans to wow visitors with new immersive theater

The sky is nearly black, with dark clouds skidding across the horizon, thunder rumbling, lightning flashing. The theater is part of a new $53-million head-turning wing at the Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach, which formally opens to the public Friday. In addition to the 300-seat theater, the high-tech Pacific Visions wing contains: — a changing exhibit gallery with multimedia displays and projected wall murals; — an art gallery for cultural events and exhibitions, along with an orientation gallery with a 26-foot-wide media wall; and — a new main entrance and front plaza with a larger ticketing area and members entrance. The addition’s main attraction is the immersive theater, which is 130 feet wide has a 32-foot-tall curving screen and a floor projection mechanism. Currently, the theater is airing an eight-minute, multi-sensory film called “Designing Our Future.” Its message, like that of the addition itself, is that humans can create a better planet through creativity, innovation and willingness to explore and accept new ideas.