Egyptian Theater Shines Again in Hollywood

Los Angeles (USA) – Under the auspices of Netflix, the “Egyptian Theater” hall, with its majestic columns and courtyard decorated with fake hieroglyphs, is being revived. After years of neglect, this famous American theater rolled out the red carpet for the first time. Film show from a century ago.

A theater restored to its former glory opens its doors Thursday in Los Angeles after years of struggling to preserve its facade.

Constantly accused of undermining the art of cinema, Netflix sees rescuing the company from Hollywood’s golden age as a way to cement its indispensable position in the industry.

“Hollywood is about symbols,” says Ted Sarandos, co-CEO of Netflix, “The Hollywood sign and this theater are two of the most famous symbols in Hollywood.” He continued, “Unfortunately, the Egyptian theater was neglected.”

Inspired by ancient Egypt, a theme popular in California in the 1920s, the theater opened in October 1922 with the world premiere of Douglas Fairbanks’ “Robin Hood.”

The idea of ​​establishing the Egyptian Theater came from real estate investor Charles E. Goes to Doberman, known as the “Father of Hollywood” because of the many famous buildings he completed there, he convinced investors of shows and theaters. , Siddharman, to build a theater there.

Organizers celebrated the occasion with staff dressed in Egyptian costumes, and they rolled out the courtyard of the house with a red carpet to welcome prominent guests such as Charlie Chaplin. Since then, this activity, drawn from European royal traditions, has spread around the world and has become a staple of major festivals and events. Despite its successful beginnings, Egyptian drama later faced many difficulties.

A few years after its opening, the owner’s interest waned and he began to focus on building a “Chinese Theater” located just off Hollywood Boulevard, which became a major tourist stop in Los Angeles. Footprints and hands of famous people frozen in cement. The Egyptian Theater was severely damaged in the 1994 earthquake that struck Los Angeles.

The American Cinematheque, a non-profit organization that took over the Egyptian Theater after the earthquake, succeeded in restoring it, but before Netflix could fund its renovation, it had great difficulty financing its maintenance.

The work done for the teacher reiterated his association with the initiation, such as sand-colored columns, colorful hieroglyphic writing, and a large beetle above the stage.

The house underwent a renovation process, which experts estimated at approximately $70 million, while the company did not provide any figures in this regard. “They came in and had a wonderful partnership with us,” says American Cinematheque director Rick Nicetta. “They understood what we were trying to accomplish.”

The system will continue to offer classic shows like “Lawrence of Arabia” on weekends, while Netflix will now be able to show its films during the week. On Thursday, the streaming company will begin showing “The Killer,” directed by David Fincher.

“We regularly rent theaters in New York and Los Angeles to host premieres of our films or events,” Sarandos says. Therefore, investing money to maintain this company is a win-win issue.

After attracting the best directors and stars of the big screen to its world in recent years, Netflix offers a historic hall like the “Paris Theater” in New York, which it bought several years ago. Netflix is ​​trying to show that the streaming platform that revolutionized the cinema industry can also respect tradition.

Sarandos points out that the renewal of the Egyptian theater represents a “contribution to Hollywood for the next hundred years” by a new institution that “did not make a significant contribution” to world cinema in the last century.

However, the scheme did not succeed in dispelling criticism from cinema operators.

Most of them criticize Netflix for refusing to show its films in theaters or only exhibiting works for a limited time, while other companies, including “Apple”, allow big production films like “Killers of the Flower Moon”. , to be shown in theaters for a limited period. several weeks. However, Sarandos dismisses the controversy, saying that “streaming has saved the entertainment industry in many ways”, stressing that “the renovation of the Egyptian theater is a sign of that”.