Cosm Detroit
25 Cadillac Square
Detroit
Thursday, Sept. 17
Outside of the Sphere in Las Vegas, few people in the country have experienced what Cosm has brought to downtown Detroit.
It’s the latest in new tech when it comes to watching sports, movies, live concerts, and whatever else they come up with.
Because it’s fresh, there’s been a lot of online discourse about what it actually is, how it functions, and what it costs. Let’s lay down some groundwork.
At its most basic level, Cosm Detroit is the best new sports bar in downtown Detroit.
At the height of its technological offerings, it’s a planetarium that plays live sports.
And let’s be clear — this is the sleekest way to watch sports in Detroit. That’s the primary function. The service here is impeccable. The food and drinks are above the quality you’d expect at other sports bars, and the staff here is some of the friendliest I’ve come across in the city. We’ll see if it holds up a year into being in business with a demanding downtown crowd.
During a media preview watching the NFL kickoff game of the Seattle Seahawks versus the New England Patriots, it felt like I was watching from the 50-yard line. The photos and videos capture some of the magic but can’t quite do it justice.
The main selling point and attraction — the “dome” theatre — is an 87-foot-diameter, 12K+ LED screen that is an overwhelming, all-consuming “shared reality” immersion into live sporting events.
Cosm Detroit will also screen movies like “The Matrix” and the “Harry Potter” films. They’re teasing a future where you can watch live concerts. Imagine seeing a broadcast of your favorite band playing at the famous Red Rocks Amphitheatre like you’re sitting front row.
It’s a remarkable experience, but the novelty wore off quickly. After 20 minutes, you sort of “get it” and can move on. It doesn’t fully replace the experience of being at the game, so the feeling of “being at the game but not actually” is a trick that doesn’t last long.
Plus, with an NFL game, you’re getting camera feeds that put you on the sidelines. You won’t see close-up replays of the big play on the dome, but they do have the national broadcast simulcast at the very top of the screen.
When the action moves toward the end zones, your POV is closer to the action. Other times, as the teams move to the middle part of the field, you can feel pretty far away from the action. The perspectives, at times, made it feel and look like I was watching sideline camera footage from a high school football game.
The scale of Cosm Detroit can bring you close to the sports you love. It’s also so massive that it can make you feel pretty far away, too.
It’s likely best used for sports with smaller courts or fields of play, like a tennis match or a Detroit Pistons game, where cameras are consistently close to the action.
Let’s talk about the price of admission. The price points can be similar to actually going to the game. With dynamic pricing for sought-after events like Detroit Lions games, tickets have already soared past $300. Doesn’t look like that’s stopping people from going. Every Lions game that’s currently available on Cosm Detroit’s website is sold out.
At $300-plus, that could get you a ticket to Ford Field, but I promise the service won’t be as impeccable as it is at Cosm Detroit.
There are other ways to experience Cosm Detroit. You don’t have to purchase tickets to the dome theatre, but you’ll need a ticket to enter at all. There’s general admission that’s much cheaper, allowing you to wander the multiple floors and find seats where you can.
There’s tickets to the hall, which is basically a massive sports bar and the way I’d return to watch something here. It’s not so different from the massive screens and experience of the game at the BetMGM Sports Lounge inside of the MGM Grand Detroit Casino, where you can actually wager on the action (kind of shocking that’s not woven into Cosm Detroit).
It’s a major new attraction to downtown Detroit that’s a welcome addition for locals and tourists alike, but I’m not so sure the novelty will stick enough to cultivate a customer base that keeps returning game after game.
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