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Inside the Chinese Theatre's First Big Makeover in 85 Years

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[Photos by Bob Freeman]

Hollywood's legendary TCL Chinese Theatre closed on May 1 for its "first major makeover in 85 years," which'll turn it into one of the biggest Imax theaters in the world, with a 94-foot-wide screen and 986 seats (the theater opened in 1927). While "[a]ll of the beautiful character-defining features will stay as is," according to theater President and COO Alwyn Hight Kushner, the floor will re-sloped and new seats will be put in, there'll be some changes made to accommodate the new screen, and the projection booth will be moved a bit. See renderings here. Work is furiously underway in the theater itself, but right now the restrooms, lobby, projection room, and the rest are still mostly untouched, according to a rep. Check out construction shots above and below (and tour the before photos right here). The theater is set to reopen on September 15.

· See the Changes Coming Soon to the TCL Chinese Theatre [Curbed LA]
· Touring the Chinese Theatre Before It Closes For a Renovation [Curbed LA]

Grauman's Chinese Theatre

6925 Hollywood Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90028