L.A.’s Chinese Theater Named Best Movie Theater in the World

The best movie theater in the entire world is also one of the most famous.

A recent list published by Time Out magazine named the TCL Chinese Theatre in Hollywood the best theater in the world. They highlighted its unique atmosphere, noting that the moment you enter its grand lobby, you feel transported to a truly special place.

Reviewers particularly admired the theater’s beautiful and ornate interior, highlighting its unique design, rich red curtain, impressive gold columns, and stunning ceiling. They also noted significant recent improvements, including the installation of an IMAX projector. However, they advise focusing on the main theater, as the IMAX screen is located within a larger multiplex with several smaller screens.

Time Out magazine recently published a list of the 100 best movie theaters worldwide. Seventeen of those are in the United States, including popular spots like Film Forum and Village East in New York City, as well as New Beverly, Egyptian, and David Geffen Theaters in Los Angeles. Film Forum was ranked number 3 on the list.

The list also included famous theaters like the Castro in San Francisco, the Texas Theatre in Dallas, and Shankweiler’s Drive-In in Orefield, Pennsylvania, which claims to be the oldest continuously operating drive-in movie theater globally.

I haven’t been to many of these incredible theaters yet, but honestly, traveling the world to see them all is a huge dream of mine. They all look absolutely stunning! I’m actually trying to convince my editor at ScreenCrush to let me take a “research trip” to Florence – specifically, to check out the Giunti Odeon. Wish me luck!

The Chinese Theatre, originally known as Grauman’s Chinese Theatre, opened in Los Angeles in 1927. Created by Sid Grauman, it has hosted numerous film premieres over the past century and is a well-known symbol of Hollywood and the film industry. The theatre is also famous for its outdoor forecourt, which features the handprints and footprints of many celebrated actors and filmmakers.

I’m a huge fan of the original Chinese Theatre, and it’s amazing to me that it was so influential, even Disney copied it! They built a replica at their Hollywood Studios park in Orlando, complete with the cement footprints. It’s a little disappointing that Disney’s version didn’t get the recognition it deserved, though – now it’s home to a Mickey Mouse ride. Still, it shows you how iconic the original really is!

Time Out’s top five movie theaters in the world are…

TCL Chinese Theatre, Los Angeles
The Stella Cinema Rathmines, Dublin
Film Forum, New York
BFI Southbank, London
New Beverly Cinema, Los Angeles

Movie Theater Chains That No Longer Exist

ArcLight Cinemas

For movie fans in Southern California during the 2000s and early 2010s, ArcLight Cinemas was a special place—and many people still miss it. While most theaters were content with a basic experience, ArcLight led the way with upgrades like comfortable reclining seats and the option to enjoy alcoholic beverages. They even had staff introduce every movie to remind the audience to stay quiet—a unique touch you rarely see elsewhere. Starting with a single location in Los Angeles, ArcLight grew to around a dozen theaters, but sadly, none of them reopened after the movie industry temporarily closed due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Their main theater, including the iconic Cinerama Dome, is expected to reopen, but it won’t be under the ArcLight name.

Carmike Cinemas

Carmike Cinemas was named after the sons of its founder, Carl L. Patrick – Carl Jr. and Michael. It grew to become one of the largest theater chains in the U.S., operating in 41 states. However, Carmike faced financial difficulties starting around 2000, went through bankruptcy once, and was eventually bought by AMC in the mid-2010s. This purchase made AMC the leading movie theater chain in the country. Before being acquired, Carmike was known for innovative concepts like “The Hollywood Connection,” which combined movies with family entertainment options such as mini golf (“Caddy Shack”) and skating (“Xanadu”). And its distinctive “C” filmstrip logo was instantly recognizable.

Clearview Cinemas

From the 1990s to the 2010s, Clearview Cinemas ran many movie theaters in the New York City area, including the historic Ziegfeld Theater – one of the last grand, single-screen cinemas remaining in the city. In 2013, Clearview sold its theaters to Bow Tie Cinemas, but Bow Tie later closed most of its New York locations. Sadly, this included the Ziegfeld, which closed in 2016 and has since been converted into an event space.

General Cinema

Though the name ‘General Cinema Corporation’ was fairly plain, their logo – a classic film projector – was truly excellent. For years, General was a major movie theater chain, operating over 1,000 screens nationwide. The company faced financial difficulties at the end of the 1990s and ultimately filed for bankruptcy in the early 2000s. Still, I’d happily wear a t-shirt featuring that memorable logo.

Kerasotes Theatres

After 115 years, Kerasotes Theatres, a family-run business that began in 1909 with a small nickelodeon in Illinois, permanently closed its last theaters in the summer of 2024. Though it had become a small chain with just a few locations in recent years, Kerasotes was known for its incredible history, with multiple generations of the Kerasotes family involved in running the company. They grew throughout the Midwest before selling many of their theaters to AMC in 2010.

Loews Theatres

I grew up going to Loews theaters in suburban New Jersey. Loews was a major movie chain founded by Marcus Loew, and it once had theaters all over the United States. Over the years, the company changed hands – Sony bought it in the 1990s (briefly calling it Sony Theatres), and it went through several mergers, acquisitions, and even bankruptcy in 2001. Eventually, it merged with AMC in 2005, and for a while, many theaters still used the Loews name. But in my opinion, nothing beats the Loews pre-show introduction from the 80s and 90s – that cheerful jingle, “Thank you for coming to Loews, sit back and relax, enjoy the show!” – was the best.

Mann Theatres

For many years, from 1973 to the early 2000s, the famous Grauman’s Chinese Theatre was known as Mann’s Chinese Theatre after being bought by the Mann Theatres chain. Ted Mann, who ran the chain, sold it to Gulf+Western in 1986. Later, in the late 1990s, private investors took over, and gradually, many of its screens were shut down or sold to other companies. Fortunately, the main Chinese Theatre still thrives today as the TCL Chinese Theatre.

Pacific Theatres

ArcLight Cinemas was actually part of a bigger movie theater company called Pacific Theatres. Founded in California in 1946, Pacific Theatres ran theaters and drive-ins across the western United States. Both it and ArcLight closed down during the Covid-19 pandemic, though AMC later bought a few of their locations.

Plitt Theatres

Following a Supreme Court ruling in the late 1940s, movie studios were forced to sell off their theater chains. Paramount Pictures’ theaters became a separate business and eventually joined with ABC. Henry Plitt, a former executive at both Paramount and ABC, later bought the theaters from ABC and rebranded them with his own name. For a time, Plitt’s company ran hundreds of movie theaters across the United States. That company was known as Plitt!

Starplex Cinemas

Starplex Cinemas had a distinctly futuristic vibe – its name and logo looked like they came straight from Star Trek: The Next Generation. It’s funny to think a theater chain with that aesthetic didn’t last long enough to actually reach the 24th century, where you’d imagine everyone would be attending movies in jumpsuits, enjoying replicated popcorn! Sadly, AMC bought the company in 2015, proving the future isn’t as exciting as we hoped.

2026-03-06 00:57