Grauman's Chinese Theatre, Movie theater in Hollywood, United States of America
Grauman's Chinese Theatre is a movie palace on Hollywood Boulevard, its entrance framed by two 27-metre red columns topped with iron masks of mythological dogs, under a curved bronze roof with a stone dragon relief between the columns. The walled forecourt holds concrete blocks bearing stars' handprints, footprints and signatures.
The theater opened in May 1927 and quickly became the preferred venue for Hollywood film premieres. Over the following decades it underwent several renovations while preserving its original architectural style.
The cinema has hosted Academy Awards ceremonies and continues to serve as a regular venue for major film premieres with red carpets. Stars appear here before audiences and press, so the site repeatedly transforms into a living part of the film world.
The forecourt is freely accessible at any time for viewing the handprints and footprints embedded in cement. The theater itself opens for screenings and special events.
The first cement slab with handprints and footprints reportedly happened by accident when an actress stepped into fresh concrete. Since then this tradition has become a fixed ritual repeated at almost every major premiere.
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