Hollywood Landmark Egyptian Theatre Reopens After Magnificent Renovation

The Egyptian Theatre is ready for its closeup after a rather common procedure in Hollywood: a full makeover.

After closing for a three-year renovation, the 101-year-old movie monument known as the Egyptian will welcome back cinephiles on November 9 with a screening of Netflix's documentary short Temple of Film: 100 Years of the Egyptian Theatre, as well as David Fincher's new action thriller The Killer. The grand reopening also will feature the 70mm film festival Ultra Cinematheque 70: Hollywood, which runs from November 10-21 and screens rare 70mm prints of films including Lawrence of Arabia, Playtime, The Wild Bunch, 2001: A Space Odyssey, and Boogie Nights. 

Opening in 1922 as Hollywood's first-ever movie theater, the Egyptian was part of Los Angeles' cinematic culture for decades before falling into disrepair and closing in 1992. The city sold the Hollywood Boulevard venue to American Cinematheque in 1996 with the stipulation that the film society would raise enough money to restore the Egyptian and host American Cinematheque programming onsite. The venue reopened in 1998, and in 2020, Netflix purchased the Egyptian from American Cinematheque with plans to use it for premieres, exhibits, and events during the week. In a unique partnership with the streaming service, the film society would still offer programming on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays.

During the restoration process, the venue's foundation was rebuilt, the balcony (an addition during the 1990s renovation) was removed, a vestibule was added, and the 516-seat theater was outfitted with state-of-the-art projection and sound.

GRoW is honored to support American Cinematheque's mission to preserve Hollywood's past well into the future.