Egyptian Theatre

Sit in the restored 1922 auditorium and you are watching films in the room where Hollywood learnt how to make an entrance. Grauman’s Egyptian Theatre hosted Hollywood’s first movie premiere — Douglas Fairbanks’s Robin Hood — on October 18, 1922, introducing the red-carpet procession, klieg lights and publicity spectacle that became part of the industry’s ritual.

After Netflix purchased the Egyptian from the American Cinematheque, it led a multi-million-dollar restoration and reopened the theatre on November 9, 2023 with a programme that included David Fincher’s The Killer and a director Q&A. The restoration has been recognised by preservation groups including the Los Angeles Conservancy and the National Trust for Historic Preservation, but the pleasure is more immediate: a single-screen movie palace on Hollywood Boulevard, returned to active use.

The calendar now moves between Netflix screenings and studio events, and weekend repertory programming curated by the American Cinematheque, including 35mm and 70mm presentations. Come for a filmmaker Q&A or a classic on film, and the setting does half the work.