Egyptian Theatre

Sid Grauman’s first Hollywood movie palace, the Egyptian Theatre opened in 1922 with the premiere of Douglas Fairbanks’ Robin Hood. Egyptian “sentries” patrolled the roofline, while “harem girls” ushered patrons to their seats. The movie house was the birthplace of the modern movie premiere, with searchlights crossing the sky, a red carpet in the forecourt from the street to the theater entrance, and celebrities arriving in limousines being introduced over a loudspeaker. Damaged by the Northridge Earthquake, it was restored by American Cinematheque in 1998 and remodeled again by Netflix in 2023.