We stepped in the strange world of Atlas 9 before it opens to KC. See inside
Jazz music that changes based on where you sit.
A beaver and an octopus going to war before your eyes.
A projector that you can turn on — if you’ve played the game all the way through.
Those are some of the sights you can see at a brand new interactive movie-themed experience for the Kansas City area: Atlas 9.
The immersive space is in a 46,000-square-foot building at 1100 N. 98th St. in Kansas City, Kansas, not too far away from the Legends shopping outlet.
The outside of the building gives you little idea what’s hidden inside, except for the astronaut and robot statues that pop up when you drive by on either side.
The building design is intentional, said Dimensional Innovations’ executive creative director Randall Statler. It plays into the story of Atlas 9, Kansas City’s newest interactive art exhibit, which opens to the public Thursday, Sept. 25.
You can explore the bulk of the story within the halls of the exhibit, which is about a struggling movie theater in the 90s looking to draw in customers by using new holographic projection technology — until it explodes, bringing the movies to life.
If you visit, you can either stroll through and enjoy artwork like what lies inside a 1930s jazz club or take your time and dig into the narrative behind the room, completing missions and unlocking hidden experiences along the way.
I grew up loving the art of professional wrestling, where storytelling is key, both inside and outside the ring. You have to buy into believing that the only way to determine who gets custody of a child after a long legal battle is to climb a ladder and retrieve a briefcase hanging 16 feet above, or else it just falls apart.
The same is true for all forms of entertainment, like movies and television shows. Superman and Batman may not be real, but that doesn’t stop you from believing they are, if only for a couple of hours.
Does the same apply to Atlas 9? Do you even need to follow the narrative to enjoy what’s inside? Here’s what I found out.
The Containment Zone
The outer building is painted black on one side and white on the other, designed to look like a big box that was airdropped to keep everything inside from escaping and disturbing the real world. Statler called the box “the containment zone,” which you can enter and see small parts of the story inside.
Once inside, you’re greeted by a van that’s been transformed into a home base for secret agents investigating the area; a merchandise stand, a ticket booth that resembles old-school movie theater registers; and a pizza parlor. The walls by the movie theater entrance are lined up with original movies created specifically for Atlas 9.
All of this is free to experience, but you will need a ticket to enter the theater itself. Prices range from $25 for children ages 3-12 and $35 for adult Wyandotte County residents. It’s $30 for children outside the county and $40 for adults. Tickets also cost $35 for heroes, which are categorized as military, teachers and first responders.
After purchasing your ticket, you’ll find neon light fixtures, free-to-play arcade games, a photo booth and a concession stand stocked with snacks. It’s a pre-movie waiting area, complete with the classic movie theater carpet to really sell the vintage feel.
The narrative fully kicks in when you scan your “ticket,” which is a wristband that uses radio frequency identification. You’re now an agent investigating what happened to this movie theater, and you’re briefed on what else you’re about to see inside.
Inside Atlas 9
It’s a nonlinear journey, meaning you can start in any of the four out of nine movies spotted on the posters by the ticket booth that have come to life thanks to the projection system, causing a power surge.
One movie, “Trance of the Sapphire,” is a spin on the 1940s noir genre about a hypnotist whose mentor goes missing because they harness the power from a natural sapphire crystal, and you can walk through an all-encompassing crystal that feels similar to a house of mirrors.
Tucked away in this section is also the Atlas 9 employee break room, where you can access computers loaded with more information on your surroundings and scan your wristband to “check in” on your mission progress. Each room has spots to scan your wristband that’ll mark this spot as complete and, in some cases, cause something to change in the room.
For example, The Jazz Room created by artist Chase Hanna is a part of “Trance of the Sapphire,” and you can add to its vibrancy by sitting in one of the structures, which changes the music. This room is where you could also see performers from local art collective Quixotic hanging from ropes and dancing from the ceiling, which Statler said can happen at any point while you’re inside.
“The narrative and world building and the amount of work that countless individuals have put into this place, is my favorite part,” Statler said. “Collaborating and bringing a lot of people together with those things. like, that’s the secret sauce.”
It’s designed for guests to go at their own pace, meaning you could spend around 45 minutes looking at the set pieces and artwork or three hours participating in the over 70 missions to complete the narratives. Figure out some of the interactive games in the theater, and you can get access to a secret speakeasy, where you can buy drinks and relax.
In “Scavengers,” a group of colorful creatures are at odds against the Greyscales in a tug-of-war, and has sucked up everything colorful in their battle to protect their world from going black and white. You can walk through an “underwater” part of the movie and see retro toys all caught in a fisherman's netting/ Statler said the team spent countless hours searching for toys around the area, along with “borrowing” from their kids’ collections.
But if you breeze by, you will miss out on a hidden drawing of what happens in the future in this story and how a beaver ends up fighting an octopus.
The biggest room is the 240-seat movie theater, which will eventually host small film festivals and performances. It’s foggy in this area since it’s the site of the projector that malfunctioned and brought the movies from out of the big screen to the real world. You can interact with the projector and, if you’ve solved enough clues, turn it on and watch the theater light up.
Elsewhere, you can scan and place yourself in the movie poster for “StarBot,” travel through the world of “MOSSMAN,” and take a look inside the creator of the projection system’s personal reel collection, which Statler said is a tribute to his dad.
All the art pieces inside, from “StarBot”’s large guitar and the crystal sapphire to large popcorn, soda and licorice pieces, were sourced from artists across Kansas City and the United States, and Statler said they’re not done. There are a lot of rooms inside that sit empty, and the team is thinking of how to expand the narrative with additional movies and setpieces.
Choose your own adventure
Your experience inside Atlas 9 is shaped by you. A solo adventure might look different than a date night, which will look different than a group of friends splitting up to find the clues to complete the missions. Even stopping in only to grab a slice of pizza counts as taking part in the story.
The exhibit has something for everyone. Kids will enjoy the bright lights, crawling through tunnels and interactive games. Cinephiles will love the attention to details within each movie; escape room fans can get their fix by going on the hunt to finish the challenges; and artgoers can spend their time appreciating the designs and sculptures crafted by hand.
The price point can be off-putting, as a family of four can find themselves spending $140 if they live outside Wyandotte County. If you’re not a fan of enclosed spaces, proceed with caution, as some zones can make you feel trapped, especially if there are a lot of bodies in one area.
The two-hour visit I took with colleagues Jenna Thompson and Dominick Williams unveiled a lot, but there’s still more to uncover inside this narrative. We’ll be on the lookout for the first person to finish the story.
“I think Kansas City, and the Midwest at large, is ready for something like this,” Statler said.
This story was originally published September 18, 2025 at 10:00 AM.
