Grauman's Egyptian Theatre

{{about|the original Hollywood movie palace|the movie theater style|Egyptian Theatre|other uses|Egyptian Theatre (disambiguation)}}

{{Infobox NRHP

| name = Egyptian Theatre

| nocat = yes

| nrhp_type = cp

| partof = Hollywood Boulevard Commercial and Entertainment District

| partof_refnum = 85000704

| image = Premiere Black Pirate Grauman's Egyptian Theatre.jpg

| image_size =

| caption = The Black Pirate premiere at Grauman's Egyptian Theatre, 1926

| location= 1650–1654 McCadden Pl &
6706–6712 Hollywood Blvd., Hollywood, Los Angeles, California

| coordinates = {{coord|34|06|03|N|118|20|11|W|type:landmark|display=inline,title}}

| locmapin = Los Angeles

| map_caption = Location of building in Los Angeles County

| built = 1922

| architect = Meyer & Holler

| architecture = Egyptian Revival

| designated_nrhp_type = April 4, 1985

| designated_other1 = LAHCM

| designated_other1_number = 584

| designated_other1_date = September 21, 1993

}}

Grauman's Egyptian Theatre, also known as Egyptian Hollywood and the Egyptian, is a historic movie theater located on Hollywood Boulevard in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California.{{cite news|url=http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/movies/moviesnow/la-et-mn-film-noir-city-egyptian-theatre-20140320-story.html|newspaper=Los Angeles Times|title=Noir City at the Egyptian Theatre has a dark, international lure|date=March 20, 2014|first=Susan|last=King}} Opened in 1922, it is an early example of a lavish movie palace and is noted as having been the site of the world's first film premiere,{{cite web|url=https://www.americancinematheque.com/about/theatres/egyptian-theatre/|publisher=American Cinematheque|title=Egyptian Theatre|accessdate=June 26, 2024}} however, its popularity was supplanted by Grauman's Chinese Theatre when it opened five years later.{{cite web|url=https://surfcitytours.com/2020/11/10/the-history-of-graumans-egyptian-theatre/#:~:text=The%20Egyptian%20Theater%20was%20referred,and%20eventual%20closure%20in%201992.|publisher=Surf City Tours|title=The History of Grauman’s Egyptian Theatre|accessdate=April 9, 2025}}

From 1998 until 2020, the Egyptian was owned and operated by the American Cinematheque,{{Cite news|url=https://www.upi.com/Archives/1996/08/15/Egyptian-Theater-to-make-comeback/2338840081600/|title=Egyptian Theater to make comeback|work=UPI|access-date=2019-08-15}} and in May 2020, Netflix bought the theater.{{Cite web|title=Netflix Closes Deal to Buy Hollywood's Egyptian Theatre|url=https://variety.com/2020/film/news/netflix-hollywood-egyptian-theatre-1234619985/|last=McNary|first=Dave|date=2020-05-29|website=Variety|language=en|access-date=2020-05-30}} Following a large restoration project, the theater re-opened in November 2023, with Netflix handling the programming Monday through Thursday and the American Cinematheque overseeing Friday through Sunday.{{cite news |url=https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/movies/story/2023-08-30/egyptian-theatre-reopening-first-look-netflix-fall-preview |last=Whipp |first=Glenn |title=We take an exclusive tour of Hollywood's restored Egyptian Theatre, opening this fall |newspaper=Los Angeles Times |date=August 30, 2023 |access-date=August 30, 2023}}

History

Image:EgyptianTheater-ext-1926.jpg

=Origins=

The Egyptian was built by showman Sid Grauman and real estate developer Charles E. Toberman,{{cite book |title=Los Angeles: Then and Now |last=Lord |first=Rosemary |year=2002 |publisher=Thunder Bay Press |location=San Diego, CA |isbn=1-57145-794-1 |pages=90–91 }} who subsequently built the nearby El Capitan Theatre and Chinese Theatre. Grauman had previously opened one of the United States's first movie palaces, the Million Dollar Theater, part of the Broadway Theater District in Downtown Los Angeles.{{Cite web |title=Million Dollar Theatre |url=https://www.laconservancy.org/learn/historic-places/million-dollar-theatre/ |access-date=2023-10-19 |publisher=Los Angeles Conservancy |language=en-US}} The Egyptian cost $800,000 {{USDCY|800000|1922}} and took 18 months to construct. Architects Meyer & Holler designed the building, and it was built by Meyer & Holler affiliate, the Milwaukee Building Company.{{Cite web |title=Egyptian Theatre |url=https://cinematreasures.org/theaters/35 |access-date=2023-10-19 |publisher=Cinema Treasures}}

The Egyptian was the location of world's first film premiere, Douglas Fairbanks in Robin Hood, on Wednesday, October 18, 1922.{{cite news |last1=del Barco |first1=Mandalit |title=Netflix restores Hollywood's iconic Egyptian Theatre |url=https://www.npr.org/2023/11/11/1212465761/netflix-restores-hollywoods-iconic-egyptian-theatre |access-date=12 November 2023 |publisher=National Public Radio |date=11 November 2023}} As the film reportedly cost over $1 million {{USDCY|1000000|1922}} to produce, the admission price to the premiere was $5 {{USDCY|5|1922}}. One could reserve a seat up to two weeks in advance for the daily performances. Evening admission was 75¢, $1 or $1.50. The film was not shown in any other Los Angeles theater that year.{{r|LAT 2019-09-05}} Premieres that took place at the Egyptian after Douglas Fairbanks in Robin Hood include The Ten Commandments in 1923, The Thief of Bagdad{{cite book |last1=Bahn |first1=Paul |title=The Archaeology of Hollywood |date=2014 |publisher=Rowman & Littlefield Publishers |isbn=9780759123793 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=wtBiAwAAQBAJ&dq=egyptian+theatre+movie+premiere&pg=PT26 |access-date=12 November 2023}} in 1924, and The Gold Rush in 1925.{{cite news |last1=Palm |first1=Iman |title=Hollywood's Egyptian Theater turns 100 |url=https://ktla.com/news/local-news/l-a-egyptian-theater-celebrates-100th-anniversary/ |access-date=12 November 2023 |publisher=KTLA 5 |date=18 October 2022}}

=Decline=

In 1927, Grauman opened a second movie theater further west on Hollywood Boulevard. In keeping with the public's fascination with international themes, he named his new theater the Chinese Theatre.{{r|LAT 2019-09-05}} Its popularity surpassed the Egyptian, most likely due to the Chinese's celebrity handprints, footprints, and signatures in the concrete of its forecourt.

Following the opening of the Chinese, Fox West Coast Theaters operated the Egyptian as a re-run house. The theater returned to first-run premieres in 1944, when it became the exclusive Hollywood showcase for MGM, but due to 1949's United States v. Paramount Pictures, Inc., which barred major studios from operating movie theaters, MGM was forced to relinquish this and all its other theaters. United Artists operated this theater from 1949 to 1992, with the theater showcasing 20th Century Fox films from the 1970s onwards.

In 1955, a large curved Todd-AO screen was added to the theater, with much of the theater's original proscenium arch demolished to make room for the screen.

In 1984, the Hollywood Boulevard Commercial and Entertainment District was added to the National Register of Historic Places, with the Egyptian Theatre listed as a contributing property in the district.{{Cite web |title=Hollywood Boulevard Commercial and Entertainment District |url=https://npgallery.nps.gov/GetAsset/236d3254-47ee-4b31-9045-c2999cc465f2/ |publisher=United States Department of the Interior - National Park Service |date=April 4, 1985 |language=en-US}} In 1992, the theater closed and fell into disrepair.{{r|LAT 2019-09-05}} In 1993, it was designated a Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument.{{Cite web | publisher= Los Angeles Department of City Planning | date = August 8, 2014 | title = Historic – Cultural Monuments (HCM) Listing: City Declared Monuments | url =http://cityplanning.lacity.org/complan/HCM/dsp_hcm_result.cfm?community=Hollywood| access-date=September 16, 2015}}

=American Cinematheque revitalization=

[[File:Egyptian Theatre Hollywood 2 (cropped).jpg|thumb|

The theater in 2008]]

In 1996, the Community Redevelopment Agency of Los Angeles sold the theater to the American Cinematheque for a nominal $1 with the provision that the building be restored to its original grandeur and reopened as a movie theater.{{Cite news|url=https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/business/story/2019-09-05/will-the-egyptian-remain-a-mecca-for-indie-film-lovers-under-netflix-not-everyone-is-convinced|title=What happens when Netflix buys Hollywood's iconic Egyptian Theatre? It's complicated|last=Faughnder|first=Ryan|date=2019-09-06|newspaper=Los Angeles Times|language=en-US|access-date=2019-09-10|df=mdy-all}}

The Cinematheque raised $12.8 million {{USDCY|12800000|1992}} to pay for the restoration, and the theater was reopened to the public on December 4, 1998. The original theater sat 1,760[http://www.seeing-stars.com/Theatres/Egyptian.shtml Seeing-stars.com] patrons in a single auditorium, while the restored Egyptian added a second theater. The main theater accommodated 616 patrons and was named after Los Angeles philanthropist Lloyd E. Rigler, while the second theater accommodated 78 and was named after Steven Spielberg.{{r|LAT 2019-09-05}} In addition to these renovations, the Egyptian's forecourt was restored to its original 1922 appearance, and palm trees and planters were also added.

=Netflix=

In April 2019, it was announced that Netflix was seeking to purchase the theater to use as a special events venue,{{Cite web|url=https://deadline.com/2019/04/egyptian-theater-hollywood-netflix-buying-cinematheque-1202591851/|title=Netflix In Talks To Acquire Hollywood's Historic Egyptian Theatre From American Cinematheque|last= Fleming|first=Mike Jr.|date=2019-04-09|website=Deadline Hollywood|access-date=2019-08-15}} qualify its films for Oscar nominations, screen its films and television shows for Oscar and Emmy voters,{{Cite web|url=https://www.indiewire.com/2019/04/the-academy-prepares-for-the-netflix-spielberg-showdown-and-a-10000-streaming-app-1202060453/|title=The Academy Prepares for the Netflix-Spielberg Showdown, and a $10,000 Streaming App|last=Thompson|first=Anne|publisher=IndieWire|date=April 19, 2019|access-date=April 21, 2019}} and that the American Cinematheque would still hold events on weekends.{{cite web |last=Malkin |first=Marc |title=Netflix's Plan for the Egyptian Theatre Will Focus Mostly on Events and Special Screenings |url=https://variety.com/2019/film/news/netflix-egyptian-theatre-plans-1203186071/ |website=Variety |access-date=April 22, 2019 |date=April 10, 2019}} Immediately after the announcement, a petition campaign called on the American Cinematheque board, the California Attorney General, and Los Angeles City Council to hold a public meeting about the proposed sale.{{Cite web|url=https://esotouric.com/egyptiantheatre/|title=Petition to Save the American Cinematheque at the Egyptian Theatre|last=Cooper|first=Kim|date=2019-04-29|website=Esotouric.com|language=en-US|access-date=2019-08-15}} On May 29, 2020, it was announced that Netflix would acquire the theater and invest in renovations.{{Cite web|url=https://deadline.com/2020/05/netflix-closes-deal-american-cinematheque-egyptian-theatre-1202946525/|title= Netflix closes deal of egyptian theater;joining forces with American Cinematheque|last=D'Alessandro|first=Anthony|work=Deadline Hollywood|date=May 29, 2020}} The theater's purchase price was reported to be $14.4 million {{USDCY|14400000|2020}}, and the renovations, which included a seismic retrofit, totalled more than $70 million {{USDCY|70000000|2020}}.{{Cite web |title=Egyptian Theatre |url=https://www.historictheatrephotos.com/Theatre/Egyptian-Los-Angeles.aspx |first=Mike |last=Hume |access-date=June 26, 2024 |website=historictheatrephotos.com |language=en-US}}

In August 2023, the Los Angeles Times reported that Netflix had restored the theater to its original appearance. This entailed restoring the original neon blade theater sign over Hollywood Boulevard and the original hieroglyphics and artwork on the courtyard walls; renovating the lobby and restoring the interior; and removing elements of the '90s restoration, including courtyard palm trees, acoustic panels in the auditorium, and the entire balcony section, lowering the seating capacity by 100 to 516 seats. Additionally, modern lighting and sound upgrades have been implemented. In October 2023, Netflix announced that the theater would reopen on November 9 with a screening of The Killer, followed by a Q&A session with director David Fincher. Netflix also announced the release of the documentary short film Temple of Film: 100 Years of the Egyptian Theatre, which features interviews from Guillermo del Toro, Rian Johnson, Lynette Howell Taylor, Autumn Durald Arkapaw and the theater's restoration architect Peyton Hall.{{cite web|title=Netflix Sets Egyptian Theatre Reopening For November With 'The Killer' Screening, David Fincher Q&A|website=Deadline Hollywood|first=Erik|last=Pedersen|date=18 October 2023|access-date=18 October 2023|url=https://deadline.com/2023/10/egytpian-theatre-reopening-set-1235576251/}}

On February 24, 2025, Netflix held the world premiere of The Electric State at the theater.{{cite web |url=https://deadline.com/2025/02/russo-brothers-avengers-doomsday-secret-wars-filming-preview-1236300834/ |title=Russo Brothers On Shooting New 'Avengers' Films Back-To-Back In London: "We May Or May Not Survive" |website=Deadline Hollywood |first1=Natalie |last1=Oganesyan |first2=Natalie |last2=Sitek |date=February 24, 2025 |access-date=February 25, 2025}}

Architecture and design

[[File:Egyptian tracks 1924.jpg|thumb|

The theater from Hollywood Boulevard, 1924]]

The exterior of the Egyptian features Egyptian Revival architecture. However, the roof panels above the main entrance are in a Mediterranean, not ancient Egyptian, style. The theater was designed with an Egyptian theme due to public fascination with Howard Carter's expeditions searching for the tomb of Tutankhamun. Previously, the theater was to have a Mediterranean-styled design, with the unconfirmed but plausible story being that Mediterranean-styled roof panels were used because they had already been delivered and paid for when the style was changed.

The building's exterior walls contain Egyptian-style paintings and hieroglyphs. The front courtyard ({{convert|45|x|150|ft|0|abbr=on}}) was designed to capitalize on Southern California's sunny weather and to host the theater's red-carpet ceremonies. Storefronts along the east side of the courtyard had an "Oriental motif" and sold imports, while the Pig 'n Whistle was located west and included a side entrance direct from the restaurant to the courtyard.{{Cite web |title=Early Views of Hollywood (1920 +) |url=https://waterandpower.org/museum/Early_Views_of_Hollywood_(1920_+)_2_of_12.html |page=2 |access-date=June 26, 2024 |publisher=Water and Power Associates |language=en-US}}

Originally, the courtyard was also the theater's "entrance hall", as the front doors formerly opened directly into the auditorium. The four columns that mark the theater's main entrance are {{convert|4+1/2|ft|m}} wide and rise {{convert|20|ft|0}}.

Inside, the theater originally featured Sphinx sculptures, singer's boxes, an orchestra pit, and a proscenium arch with a winged scarab surmounted by a medallion and snakes at its center. Additionally, the theater's centerpiece was its massive stylized sunburst device on the ceiling, which doubled as an organ grille. Several of these features, including the sculptures and orchestra pit, were removed when the theater transitioned to sound, and much of the proscenium arch was demolished to make room for an enlarged screen when the theater upgraded to Todd-AO.

In 1997, architecture and design studio Hodgetts + Fung renovated the theater and updated its technology to accommodate American Cinematheque programming.{{Cite web |title=Egyptian Theater |url=https://hplusf.com/projects/egyptian-theater/ |access-date=2023-10-19 |website=HplusF Design Lab |language=en-US}} The exterior was restored while projection, sound, seating, mechanical systems, and circulation were improved to 21st century standards. In 2000, the project won the National Preservation Award from the National Trust for Historic Preservation.

The Egyptian was further renovated from 2020 to 2023, with a focus on updating the changes made in the previous renovation. Non-original additions such as palm trees and a second-floor balcony were removed, the auditorium ceiling and Egyptian scarab at the proscenium were restored, and the theater technology was modernized again.{{Cite web |title=Hollywood Flashback: The Egyptian Theatre Was First Reborn 25 Years Ago |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-features/egyptian-theatre-reopens-netflix-american-cinematheque-1235637191/ |date=November 12, 2023 |first=Ryan |last=Gajewski |publisher=Hollywood Reporter |language=en-US}} The entire renovation process, from the 1990s to 2020s, is considered a "case study in reversibility" by Los Angeles city staff.{{Cite web |url=https://www.laconservancy.org/learn/historic-places/the-netflix-egyptian-theatre/ |title=The Egyptian Theater |publisher=Los Angeles Conservancy |access-date=June 26, 2024}}

File: Egyptian Theatre Hollywood 6.jpg|Box office, 2008

File: Egyptian Theatre Hollywood 7.jpg|Exterior doorway, 2008

File: Egyptian Theatre Hollywood 5.jpg|Exterior wall designs, 2008

File: Graumanegyptian-opening1922.jpg|Proscenium arch, 1922

File: Egyptian Theatre Auditorium 1924.jpg|Seating, 1924

File: Clone Wars screening - the ceiling of the Egyptian (5240103135).jpg|Interior ceiling, 2010

Influence and legacy

The layout, design, and name of the Egyptian Theatre was emulated by other movie palaces across North America, including those in Bala Cynwyd, Boise, Concord, Coos Bay, DeKalb, Delta, El Dorado, Hanover, Montreal, Ogden, Park City, Pasadena, and Seattle.

In popular culture

The Egyptian was featured in episode 712 of Visiting... with Huell Howser.{{cite web |title=Egyptian Theater- Visiting (712) – Huell Howser Archives at Chapman University |date=28 October 1999 |publisher=Chapman University |url=https://blogs.chapman.edu/huell-howser-archives/1999/10/28/egyptian-theater-visiting-712/}}

The theater is the location of a gunfight during the conclusion of a case in the video game L.A. Noire.

The theater appears in Jonathan Franzen's 2021 novel Crossroads.

References

External links

{{Official|https://www.egyptiantheatre.com/}}
[https://esotouric.com/egyptiantheatre/ Friends of the American Cinematheque at the Egyptian Theatre petition campaign]

Category:Movie palaces

Category:Cinemas and movie theaters in Hollywood, Los Angeles

Category:Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monuments

Category:Egyptian-style theaters

Category:Revival architecture in the United States

Category:Egyptian Revival architecture in the United States

Category:Hollywood Boulevard

Category:1922 establishments in California

Category:Theatres completed in 1922

Category:1920s architecture in the United States

Category:History of Los Angeles

Category:Culture of Los Angeles