page_title: Grauman's Egyptian Theatre
section_title: American Cinematheque
hierarchical_section_title: Grauman's Egyptian Theatre / History / American Cinematheque
context_page_description: Grauman's Egyptian Theatre is a historic movie theatre located at 6706 Hollywood Blvd. in Hollywood, California. Opened in 1922, it is an early example of a lavish movie palace and is noted as having been the site of the first-ever Hollywood film premiere. From 1998 until 2020, it was owned and operated by the American Cinematheque, a member-based cultural organization.
  In May 2020 Netflix became the owner of the theatre. Following the sale, the American Cinematheque will continue to host events on weekends.
context_section_description: As Hollywood declined in the 1980s and early 1990s, the Egyptian was closed in 1992 and fell into disrepair. 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 landmark building be restored to its original grandeur and reopened as a movie theater.
  The Cinematheque committed to raising the funds to pay for the restoration and to using the renovated theater as home for its programs of public film exhibition. The Egyptian was reopened to the public on December 4, 1998, after a $12.8 million renovation. The original theater seated 1,760 patrons in a single auditorium. In the restored Egyptian, the building has been reconfigured to add a second screening theater. The main theater now accommodates 616 patrons and is named after Los Angeles philanthropist Lloyd E. Rigler. The 78 seat screening is named for Steven Spielberg. While the interior was rebuilt as two modern cinemas, using some of the decorative elements of the original theater, the exterior was completely restored to its original 1922 appearance.
  In April 2019, it was announced that Netflix was seeking to purchase the theater from the American Cinematheque to use as a special events venue, possibly to qualify its films and series to be considered for Oscar and Emmy award nomination, respectively. and that the American Cinematheque would still hold events on weekends. A petition campaign calls on the American Cinematheque board, the California Attorney General and Los Angeles City Council to halt the sale and hold a public meeting to answer questions about the proposed sale and status of the Attorney General's investigation. Later on May 29, 2020, it was announced that Netflix will acquire the theater and invests in some renovations of it.
  The American Cinematheque also rents and presents film screenings at the Aero Theatre in Santa Monica.
caption: The courtyard circa 2007
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