Egyptian Theatre facts for kids

Grauman's Egyptian Theatre in 1922, when it first opened.

The Egyptian Theatre in DeKalb, Illinois. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Egyptian-style theatres are special movie theaters. They are designed to look like buildings from Ancient Egypt. This means they use old Egyptian art and building styles.

These theaters often have grand entrances. They might feature statues of pharaohs or gods. Hieroglyphs and other Egyptian symbols are also common. Inside, you might see columns and decorations that remind you of ancient temples.

The First Egyptian Theatre

The very first Egyptian Theatre in the United States was Grauman's Egyptian Theatre. It opened in Hollywood, California. This theater inspired many others that came after it.

A Hollywood developer named Charles E. Toberman wanted Sid Grauman to build a theater in Hollywood. Sid Grauman told him he wanted to build a theater with an Egyptian design. Toberman found a good spot on Hollywood Boulevard.

The company Meyer & Holler designed the theater. It had 1,770 seats. The entrance was through a courtyard. This courtyard looked like something from ancient Egypt. Inside, the stage had carved columns. There were also models of the Sphinx.

Opening Night

Grauman's Egyptian Theatre opened on October 19, 1922. The very first movie shown was "Robin Hood." It starred Douglas Fairbanks.

Many years later, people still remembered the theater's glamour. The American Cinematheque bought the theater in 1992. They promised to restore it. Their goal was to make it look like it did when it first opened. They wanted it to be a movie theater again.

King Tut's Influence

Many Egyptian-style theaters were built after 1922. This was because of a big discovery. In November 1922, Howard Carter found the tomb of King Tut. This news made people very interested in ancient Egypt.

It's interesting to know that Grauman's Egyptian Theatre was special. It was designed and opened *before* King Tut's tomb was found. The news of the tomb's discovery reached the US a few weeks after the theater opened.

In the early 1900s, about 100 of these theaters were built. Many of them are gone now. But some beautiful examples still exist today. Companies like Conrad Schmitt Studios have helped restore many of them. These include Egyptian Theatres in Park City, Utah; Ogden, Utah; Boise, Idaho; Delta, Colorado; and DeKalb, Illinois.

Famous Egyptian-Style Theatres

The Mary G. Steiner Egyptian Theatre in Park City, Utah during the Sundance Film Festival 2024.
(view as a 360° interactive panorama)

Here is a list of some Egyptian-style theaters. They are listed by when they first opened.

• Grauman's Egyptian Theatre, Hollywood, California, 1922 – still open
• Bush Egyptian Theatre, San Diego, California, 1923 – taken down in 2003
• Peery's Egyptian Theatre, Ogden, Utah, 1924 – still open
• Egyptian Theatre, Coos Bay, Oregon, 1925 – still open
• Bard's Egyptian Theatre, Pasadena, California, 1925 – changed in 1957–1958
• Mary G. Steiner Egyptian Theatre, Park City, Utah, 1926 – still open
• Bala Theatre, Bala Cynwyd, Pennsylvania, 1926 – closed in 2014
• Capitol Center for the Arts, Concord, New Hampshire, 1927 – still open
• The Egyptian Theatre, Boise, Idaho, 1927 – still open
• Empress Theatre, Montreal, Quebec, Canada, 1927 – closed in 1992
• Egyptian Theatre, Delta, Colorado, 1928 – still open
• Egyptian Theatre, DeKalb, Illinois, 1929 – still open
• The Moore Egyptian, Seattle, Washington, 1975 – 1980
• SIFF Cinema Egyptian, Seattle, Washington, 1980 – still open
• Cinemark Egyptian 24 and XD, Hanover, Maryland, 2000 – still open

See also

• Egyptomania