Please note that the Museum will be closing at 3 PM on Saturday, February 28. The last entry ticket to The Discovery of King Tut will be sold at 1:30 PM. The last film that will be shown will be Ocean Oasis at 2:30 PM.

Charmaine and Maurice Kaplan Theater

Welcome to The Downing 3D Experience, the largest Dolby® 3D theater for a museum in California! Visitors to the San Diego Natural History Museum will be dazzled by the latest in digital 3D technology that delivers a premium viewing experience from anywhere in the 300-seat, stadium-style theater.

All film times subject to change daily. Assistive Listening Devices for films and lectures in the Charmaine and Maurice Kaplan Theater are available at the Visitor Services Desk.

Giant-screen theater included with paid admission. The 3D theater is included with Passports to Balboa Park, Go San Diego Cards and for members of the San Diego Natural History Museum. Tickets are available at the Visitor Services Desks at the Museum.

The Downing 3D Experience in the Charmaine and Maurice Kaplan Theater is sponsored by John and Tracy Downing, the Downing Family Foundation, the Eleanor and Jerry Navarra Family, Jerome’s Furniture, and Stephen Cohen, President, Private Asset Management, Inc.

Theater Schedule

Movie Trailers

Walking with Dinosaurs: Prehistoric Planet 3D

BBC Earth’s Walking with Dinosaurs: Prehistoric Planet 3D transports the audience to Cretaceous Alaska 70 million years ago to meet dinosaurs as they’ve never seen them before. Narrated by Benedict Cumberbatch, the film takes viewers on a journey through the seasons to experience a year in the life of dinosaurs fighting, feeding, migrating, playing, and hunting. This new 20-minute 3D film was inspired by the 2013 major motion picture Walking with Dinosaurs: The Movie.

Attention teachers and parents: Download our free Walking With Dinosaurs 3D Movie Educator Guide.

• From January 1, 2015 To December 31, 2015

Mummies 3D: Secrets of the Pharaohs

Journey to the royal tombs of Egypt and explore the fascinating world of the pharaohs as told through the mummies of the past. Narrated by actor Christopher Lee and featuring top researchers, this 3D film unlocks some of the mysteries enshrouding the ancient royal mummies—how they were embalmed and where they were hidden—and recreates the dramatic story of their recovery. The film coincides with the special exhibition The Discovery of King Tut and follows explorers and scientists as they piece together the archeological and genetic clues of Egyptian mummies. Mummies: Secrets of the Pharaohs is produced by Giant Screen Films and Gravity Pictures, in association with The Franklin Institute and the Museum of Science, Boston.

• From September 2, 2014 To April 25, 2015

Ocean Oasis

Take a fascinating journey into two remarkably different, but inextricably linked worlds—Mexico’s Sea of Cortés and the Baja California desert. Ocean Oasis , a giant-screen film, mesmerizes audiences as they witness the beauty of life in Baja California's rich waters and seemingly barren land. Note: Ocean Oasis is a 2D film.Produced by the San Diego Natural History Museum, Summerhays Films, and PRONATURA A.C., with sponsorship from Sempra Energy. Winner of the Jackson Hole Wildlife Film Festival and the International Wildscreen Film Festival.

• From January 1, 2005 To December 31, 2020