Grauman’s Chinese Theater
Forecourt entrance, Hollywood Boulevard
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| Former names | Mann's Chinese Theatre TCL Chinese Theatre |
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| Location | 6925 Hollywood Boulevard Hollywood, California, U.S. |
| Coordinates | 34°6′7″N 118°20′27.5″W / 34.10194°N 118.340972°WCoordinates: 34°6′7″N 118°20′27.5″W / 34.10194°N 118.340972°W |
| Owner | Chinese Theatres, LLC |
| Type | Indoor movie theatre |
| Capacity | 932 (as of 2013) |
| Construction | |
| Broke ground | January 9, 1926 |
| Built | January 16, 1926 |
| Opened | May 18, 1927 |
| Renovated | 2001–2004 2013 (Digital IMAX conversion) 2014 (70mm IMAX installation for Interstellar) 2015 (IMAX With Laser installation) |
| Website | |
| www.tclchinesetheatres.com/ | |
| Designated | June 5, 1968 |
| Reference no. | 55 |
Grauman's Chinese Theatre (known under naming rights as TCL Chinese Theatre) is a movie palace on the historic Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6925 Hollywood Boulevard in Hollywood, California, United States. Originally known as Grauman's Chinese Theatre, it was renamed Mann's Chinese Theatre in 1973; the name lasted until 2001, after which it reverted to its original name. On January 11, 2013, Chinese electronics manufacturer TCL Corporation officially purchased the facility's naming rights.
The original Chinese Theatre was commissioned following the success of the nearby Grauman's Egyptian Theatre, which opened in 1922. Built by a partnership headed by Sid Grauman over 18 months starting in January 1926, the theatre opened May 18, 1927, with the premiere of Cecil B. DeMille's film The King of Kings. It has since been home to many premieres, including the 1977 launch of George Lucas' Star Wars, as well as birthday parties, corporate junkets, and three Academy Awards ceremonies. Among the theatre's most distinctive features are the concrete blocks set in the forecourt, which bear the signatures, footprints, and handprints of popular motion picture personalities from the 1920s to the present day.
In 2013 the Chinese Theatre partnered with IMAX Corporation to convert the house into a custom designed IMAX theater. The newly renovated theater seats 932 people and features one of the largest movie screens in North America.
After his success with the Egyptian Theatre, Sid Grauman turned to Charles E. Toberman to secure a long-term lease on property at 6925 Hollywood Blvd. Toberman contracted the firm of Meyer & Holler, designer of the Egyptian, to design a "palace type theatre" of Chinese design. Grauman financed and owned a one-third interest in the Chinese Theatre; his partners—Mary Pickford, Douglas Fairbanks, and Howard Schenck—owned the remainder. The principal architect of the Chinese Theatre was Raymond M. Kennedy, of Meyer & Holler.
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