IMAX

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Audience inside IMAX Theater watching a movie featuring an astronaut

Turn your visit into an all-day science adventure – visit our exhibit galleries and watch an IMAX movie on our giant 7-story screen!

For the safety of our guests, all 3D glasses are cleaned and sanitized before every use.

Transport yourself to awesome new worlds and engage your senses in endless colors and soul-stirring sounds. Every element in our state-of-the-art theater is specially designed to create an immersive experience, ensuring movie magic each time the lights go down. Our IMAX with Laser projection system will draw you into the action like never before. Coupled with IMAX's next-generation 12 channel surround sound system, our IMAX Theater brings to life worlds as small as an atom and as vast as the universe. Experience an IMAX movie and get the big picture!

Concessions are open! Enjoy delicious snacks while watching a fantastic film. Members receive a 10% discount when showing your Member card during purchase. Please be advised that the Concession Stand will be closing early on days with low attendance. If you have any concerns and would like further information for the day of your visit, please call us at (213) 744-7546.

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SHOWTIMES

NOW - JUNE 20

9:30 a.m. Superhuman Body 3D (40 mins.) (Groups only, Monday-Friday only)
10:30 a.m. Blue Whales 3D (45 mins.)
11:30 a.m. The Blue Angels (45 mins.)
12:30 p.m. Superhuman Body 3D (40 mins.)
1:30 p.m. The Blue Angels (45 mins.)
2:30 p.m. Superhuman Body 3D (40 mins.)
3:30 p.m. Blue Whales 3D (45 mins.)
4:30 p.m. Deep Sky (40 mins.) (Saturdays and Sundays only)

JUNE 21 - OCTOBER 9

10:00 a.m. Blue Whales 3D (45 mins.)
11:00 a.m. Antarctica 3D (45 mins.)
12:00 p.m. Superhuman Body 3D (40 mins.)
1:00 p.m. The Blue Angels (45 mins.)
2:00 p.m. Antarctica 3D (45 mins.)
3:00 p.m. Superhuman Body 3D (40 mins.)
4:00 p.m. Blue Whales 3D (45 mins.)

NOW PLAYING—The Blue Angels

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Blue Angels 3D key art featuring two planes flying past a giant IMAX, with Blue Angels movie logo in the bottom left corner..
Image attribution
IMAX
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The Blue Angels fly in formation through a blue sky with wispy clouds, leaving behind a trail from their planes.
Image attribution
Courtesy IMAX Corporation and Dolphin Entertainment, Inc.

The name "Blue Angels" was picked by the original team when they were planning a show in New York in 1946.

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Blue Angels pilot and crew pose in position in front of plane.
Image attribution
Courtesy IMAX Corporation and Dolphin Entertainment, Inc.

To date, there have been over 260 demonstration pilots and 37 Flight Leaders/Commanding Officers.

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Blue Angels fly in formation against a deep blue sky, as people watch from below.
Image attribution
Courtesy IMAX Corporation and Dolphin Entertainment, Inc.

An estimated 11 million spectators view the squadron during air shows each year.

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A Blue Angels pilot is seen inside his plane while flying next to another Blue Angel plane.
Image attribution
Courtesy IMAX Corporation and Dolphin Entertainment, Inc.

During an air show, the fastest speed is about 700 mph (just under Mach 1; Sneak Pass) and the slowest speed is about 120 mph (indicated speed; Section High Alpha), both flown by the solo pilots during the show. 

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Blue Angels pilots shake hands in front of their planes.
Image attribution
Courtesy IMAX Corporation and Dolphin Entertainment, Inc.

The Blue Angels are representatives of the excellence and professionalism found throughout the fleet. Each Blue Angel team member is an ambassador and representative of their fleet counterparts.

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Blue Angels 3D key art featuring two planes flying past a giant IMAX, with Blue Angels movie logo in the bottom left corner..
Image attribution
IMAX
Image
The Blue Angels fly in formation through a blue sky with wispy clouds, leaving behind a trail from their planes.
Image attribution
Courtesy IMAX Corporation and Dolphin Entertainment, Inc.

The name "Blue Angels" was picked by the original team when they were planning a show in New York in 1946.

Image
Blue Angels pilot and crew pose in position in front of plane.
Image attribution
Courtesy IMAX Corporation and Dolphin Entertainment, Inc.

To date, there have been over 260 demonstration pilots and 37 Flight Leaders/Commanding Officers.

Image
Blue Angels fly in formation against a deep blue sky, as people watch from below.
Image attribution
Courtesy IMAX Corporation and Dolphin Entertainment, Inc.

An estimated 11 million spectators view the squadron during air shows each year.

Image
A Blue Angels pilot is seen inside his plane while flying next to another Blue Angel plane.
Image attribution
Courtesy IMAX Corporation and Dolphin Entertainment, Inc.

During an air show, the fastest speed is about 700 mph (just under Mach 1; Sneak Pass) and the slowest speed is about 120 mph (indicated speed; Section High Alpha), both flown by the solo pilots during the show. 

Image
Blue Angels pilots shake hands in front of their planes.
Image attribution
Courtesy IMAX Corporation and Dolphin Entertainment, Inc.

The Blue Angels are representatives of the excellence and professionalism found throughout the fleet. Each Blue Angel team member is an ambassador and representative of their fleet counterparts.

Slider info

NOW PLAYING—Superhuman Body 3D

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Key art for Superhuman Body 3D. A CGI skeleton runs with a bluish aura around it showing a low transparency body around the skeleton. To the right is the Superhuman Body 3D title, along with narration by Matthew McConaughey, and presenting partners.
Image attribution
MacGillivray Freeman Films
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Photo of Emily Whitehead photographing the ocean.
Image attribution
Courtesy of MacGillivray Freeman Films

Emily Whitehead

Meet Emily Whitehead, a teen whose childhood leukemia was cured after life-changing CAR T-cell therapy.

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Man with a prosthetic limb wakesurfing in a lake.
Image attribution
Courtesy of MacGillivray Freeman Films

Ty Duckett

Meet Ty Duckett, an adaptive athlete with an above-the-knee amputation, who is living life to the fullest thanks to an innovative prosthetic

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James Garrett works with patients in Ghana to perform site-restoring cataract surgeries.
Image attribution
MacGillivray Freeman Films

James Garrett

Meet James Garrett, whose heart condition was treated with an artificial valve so advanced it didn’t require open-heart surgery.

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Dr. Ayanna Howard

Meet Dr. Ayanna Howard, a pioneering roboticist who designs robots that can teach, encourage, and rehabilitate humans. 

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Dr. Herr sits next to a prosthetic.
Image attribution
MacGillivray Freeman Films

Dr. Hugh Herr

Meet Dr. Herr, who turned the tragedy of losing both his legs in a climbing accident into an amazing career designing bionic limbs that provide greater mobility to amputees. 

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Key art for Superhuman Body 3D. A CGI skeleton runs with a bluish aura around it showing a low transparency body around the skeleton. To the right is the Superhuman Body 3D title, along with narration by Matthew McConaughey, and presenting partners.
Image attribution
MacGillivray Freeman Films
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Photo of Emily Whitehead photographing the ocean.
Image attribution
Courtesy of MacGillivray Freeman Films

Emily Whitehead

Meet Emily Whitehead, a teen whose childhood leukemia was cured after life-changing CAR T-cell therapy.

Image
Man with a prosthetic limb wakesurfing in a lake.
Image attribution
Courtesy of MacGillivray Freeman Films

Ty Duckett

Meet Ty Duckett, an adaptive athlete with an above-the-knee amputation, who is living life to the fullest thanks to an innovative prosthetic

Image
James Garrett works with patients in Ghana to perform site-restoring cataract surgeries.
Image attribution
MacGillivray Freeman Films

James Garrett

Meet James Garrett, whose heart condition was treated with an artificial valve so advanced it didn’t require open-heart surgery.

Image

Dr. Ayanna Howard

Meet Dr. Ayanna Howard, a pioneering roboticist who designs robots that can teach, encourage, and rehabilitate humans. 

Image
Dr. Herr sits next to a prosthetic.
Image attribution
MacGillivray Freeman Films

Dr. Hugh Herr

Meet Dr. Herr, who turned the tragedy of losing both his legs in a climbing accident into an amazing career designing bionic limbs that provide greater mobility to amputees. 

Slider info

NOW PLAYING—Blue Whales 3D

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Blue whale and diver underwater.
Image attribution
SK Films
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Blue whale and diver underwater.
Image attribution
SK Films

Blue whales have been found in all oceans around the world except for the Arctic Ocean.

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Blue whale mother and calf swim together underwater
Image attribution
SK Films

Newborn blue whales are big babies! They can reach about 23 feet in length and can weigh 5,000 to 6,000 pounds at birth.

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Blue whale feeds on krill.
Image attribution
SK Films

The blue whale's favorite food is krill, or small shrimp-like animals. They can eat up to 12,000 pounds of krill a day during the feeding season.

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Research crew watches for blue whales on a boat.
Image attribution
SK Films

Today there are between 5,000 to 10,000 blue whales in the Southern Hemisphere and about 3,000 to 4,000 blue whales in the Northern Hemisphere. Researchers like Dr. Diane Gendron and Jasivi Arcos (shown above) study blue whales so we can continue to help their populations recover.

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Blue whale and diver underwater.
Image attribution
SK Films
Image
Blue whale and diver underwater.
Image attribution
SK Films

Blue whales have been found in all oceans around the world except for the Arctic Ocean.

Image
Blue whale mother and calf swim together underwater
Image attribution
SK Films

Newborn blue whales are big babies! They can reach about 23 feet in length and can weigh 5,000 to 6,000 pounds at birth.

Image
Blue whale feeds on krill.
Image attribution
SK Films

The blue whale's favorite food is krill, or small shrimp-like animals. They can eat up to 12,000 pounds of krill a day during the feeding season.

Image
Research crew watches for blue whales on a boat.
Image attribution
SK Films

Today there are between 5,000 to 10,000 blue whales in the Southern Hemisphere and about 3,000 to 4,000 blue whales in the Northern Hemisphere. Researchers like Dr. Diane Gendron and Jasivi Arcos (shown above) study blue whales so we can continue to help their populations recover.

Slider info

NOW PLAYING—Deep Sky

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Deep Sky cover art
Image attribution
IMAX
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SMACS 0723 - James Webb Space Telescope captures a cluster of galaxies
Image attribution
NASA, ESA, CSA, and STScI

The first image shared from NASA's James Webb Space Telescope (known as Webb's First Deep Field) shows galaxy cluster SMACS 0723 overflowing with detail. This was the deepest and sharpest infrared image of the distant universe to date. 

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James Webb Space Telescope anniversary photo
Image attribution
NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI, Klaus Pontoppidan (STScI)

The first anniversary image from NASA's James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) displays star birth like never seen before, full of detailed, impressionistic texture. The subject is the Rho Ophiuchi cloud complex, the closest star-forming region to Earth. 

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Carina Nebula captured by the James Webb Space Telescope
Image attribution
NASA, ESA, CSA, and STScI

Called the Cosmic Cliffs, this landscape of "mountains" and "valleys" speckled with glittering stars is actually the edge of a nearby, young, star-forming region called NGC 3324 in the Carina Nebula. 

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Pillars of Creation captured by the James Webb Space Telescope
Image attribution
NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI; Joseph DePasquale (STScI), Anton M. Koekemoer (STScI), Alyssa Pagan (STScI)

The Pillars of Creation are set off in a kaleidoscope of color in NASA's James Webb Space Telescope’s near-infrared-light view. 

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Deep Sky cover art
Image attribution
IMAX
Image
SMACS 0723 - James Webb Space Telescope captures a cluster of galaxies
Image attribution
NASA, ESA, CSA, and STScI

The first image shared from NASA's James Webb Space Telescope (known as Webb's First Deep Field) shows galaxy cluster SMACS 0723 overflowing with detail. This was the deepest and sharpest infrared image of the distant universe to date. 

Image
James Webb Space Telescope anniversary photo
Image attribution
NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI, Klaus Pontoppidan (STScI)

The first anniversary image from NASA's James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) displays star birth like never seen before, full of detailed, impressionistic texture. The subject is the Rho Ophiuchi cloud complex, the closest star-forming region to Earth. 

Image
Carina Nebula captured by the James Webb Space Telescope
Image attribution
NASA, ESA, CSA, and STScI

Called the Cosmic Cliffs, this landscape of "mountains" and "valleys" speckled with glittering stars is actually the edge of a nearby, young, star-forming region called NGC 3324 in the Carina Nebula. 

Image
Pillars of Creation captured by the James Webb Space Telescope
Image attribution
NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI; Joseph DePasquale (STScI), Anton M. Koekemoer (STScI), Alyssa Pagan (STScI)

The Pillars of Creation are set off in a kaleidoscope of color in NASA's James Webb Space Telescope’s near-infrared-light view. 

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OPENS JUNE 21—Antarctica 3D

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Antarctica 3D key art featuring a parent penguin cuddling two penguin chicks to keep them warm in the frigid Antarctic terrain, visible in the background with a tall snow-covered peak. The Antarctica 3D logo appears in the bottom righthand corner of the image.
Image attribution
SK Films
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A Weddell seal pup lays back on a patch of cold Antarctic ice, belly up, holding its head up and facing the camera, and holding its front legs out as if shrugging.
Image attribution
Copyright John Brown

Weddell seal pups are born from the womb, at 37°C (about 98°F) , straight onto the sea ice. This is the sharpest drop in temperature any animal will ever face. These early days are a vulnerable time, as they cannot swim until they are ten days old. Only then can they escape the brutal storms by sheltering in the water.

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A southern right whale leaps from the water, creating a splash, with a rainbow forming in the spray.
Image attribution
Copyright Stephen Bradley

The southern right whale was given its name by whalers as they were the right whales to hunt. This population of around 35,000 whales was decimated by whalers and yet, amazingly, these animals remain inquisitive and gentle around humans.

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An elephant bull defends its harem of females by using his trunk-like nose to boom out a roar. A group of penguins are huddled in the background.
Image attribution
Photography by Fredi Devas

This four ton elephant bull seal is defending his harem of females. This beachmaster uses his trunk-like nose to boom out an almighty roar, warding off intruders.

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A colony of gentoo penguins walk across a frigid frozen ice terrain in the Antarctic.
Image attribution
BBC NHU

Antarctica also holds 90 percent of the world's ice.

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A weddell seal dives underwater, with a sheet of Antarctic ice above, creating a beautiful turquoise color from the sunlight casting upon it from at the surface.
Image attribution
Copyright Espen Rekdal

The weddell seal is the most southerly living species of mammal on the planet. It grinds back the ice to keep its breathing hole open.

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A group of purple and pink sea stars huddle on a rock under the ice covered surface of the Ross sea.
Image attribution
Copyright Espen Rekdal

Below the sea ice, in the Ross sea, the water is a constant -2°C (about 28°F). In the cold, creatures here grow very slowly, but they can live long and become large in stature. 

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Adult king penguins head out to sea to collect food for their chicks.
Image attribution
Photography Fredi Devas copyright BBC NH

Adult king penguins head out to sea to collect food for their chicks. This colony hesitated getting into the cold water for 10 minutes—eventually one was pushed in!

Image
Antarctica 3D key art featuring a parent penguin cuddling two penguin chicks to keep them warm in the frigid Antarctic terrain, visible in the background with a tall snow-covered peak. The Antarctica 3D logo appears in the bottom righthand corner of the image.
Image attribution
SK Films
Image
A Weddell seal pup lays back on a patch of cold Antarctic ice, belly up, holding its head up and facing the camera, and holding its front legs out as if shrugging.
Image attribution
Copyright John Brown

Weddell seal pups are born from the womb, at 37°C (about 98°F) , straight onto the sea ice. This is the sharpest drop in temperature any animal will ever face. These early days are a vulnerable time, as they cannot swim until they are ten days old. Only then can they escape the brutal storms by sheltering in the water.

Image
A southern right whale leaps from the water, creating a splash, with a rainbow forming in the spray.
Image attribution
Copyright Stephen Bradley

The southern right whale was given its name by whalers as they were the right whales to hunt. This population of around 35,000 whales was decimated by whalers and yet, amazingly, these animals remain inquisitive and gentle around humans.

Image
An elephant bull defends its harem of females by using his trunk-like nose to boom out a roar. A group of penguins are huddled in the background.
Image attribution
Photography by Fredi Devas

This four ton elephant bull seal is defending his harem of females. This beachmaster uses his trunk-like nose to boom out an almighty roar, warding off intruders.

Image
A colony of gentoo penguins walk across a frigid frozen ice terrain in the Antarctic.
Image attribution
BBC NHU

Antarctica also holds 90 percent of the world's ice.

Image
A weddell seal dives underwater, with a sheet of Antarctic ice above, creating a beautiful turquoise color from the sunlight casting upon it from at the surface.
Image attribution
Copyright Espen Rekdal

The weddell seal is the most southerly living species of mammal on the planet. It grinds back the ice to keep its breathing hole open.

Image
A group of purple and pink sea stars huddle on a rock under the ice covered surface of the Ross sea.
Image attribution
Copyright Espen Rekdal

Below the sea ice, in the Ross sea, the water is a constant -2°C (about 28°F). In the cold, creatures here grow very slowly, but they can live long and become large in stature. 

Image
Adult king penguins head out to sea to collect food for their chicks.
Image attribution
Photography Fredi Devas copyright BBC NH

Adult king penguins head out to sea to collect food for their chicks. This colony hesitated getting into the cold water for 10 minutes—eventually one was pushed in!

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Accessibility Services & Amenities View Details

Here at the California Science Center, we want all guests to participate equally in the excitement of experiencing science! We are committed to breaking down any barriers to access. If you have questions about accessibility that are not answered here, please call us at 213-744-2019; email us at [email protected]; or stop by our Information Desk just inside the main entrance.

Learn More

Closed Captioning View Details

Closed captions for the hearing impaired are available. Learn more about Closed Captioning for our IMAX movies.

A family wearing 3D glasses and watching a film in the IMAX theater
Special Offers for Members

Support a dynamic educational resource and enjoy a year of special experiences, including IMAX movie previews and ticket discounts. Join today to launch your science adventure!

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Guest Services facilitator sits on floor with puppet in hand and plays with young children in the Ecosystem Discovery Room reading area
Image attribution
Tracie Spence Photography

Your patronage supports science learning

The California Science Center is a non-profit organization. Your IMAX ticket purchase helps fund our exhibit and education programs. The IMAX movies we show support our mission to stimulate curiosity and inspire science learning in everyone. Thank you for choosing the California Science Center IMAX Theater!