The Big Picture Behind The Egyptian Theatre

It’s been three years since Netflix
NFLX
announced it had bought Hollywood’s iconic Egyptian Theatre, but the $70 million refurbishment is complete, and the doors are open. However, the journey has been a challenging one.

“Everyone who has ever done a home remodel knows that as soon as you open a wall, it takes twice as long and costs twice as much as you’d expect. This was no exception,” Netflix Co-CEO Ted Sarandos explained as he addressed a small group of invited media a few days before the theater’s public unveiling.

It’s impossible to ignore that the unveiling and celebration coincide with the industry being at a standstill and in turmoil as many of those who create what audiences consume fight for fair compensation. However, it’s hoped the Egyptian can be seen as a beacon for better times ahead for everyone. The establishment of a Hollywood home is, by the streamer’s own admission, a blend of commerce and community.

“It’s absolutely a combination of the above,” enthused Scott Tuber, Chairman of Netflix Film, in the green room of the newly refurbished location on Hollywood Boulevard. The project, a joint venture between Netflix and the American Cinematheque, is not the first time the platform has manifested in a standalone brick-and-mortar brand extension, having taken over the lease of the Paris Theater in Manhattan in 2019.

“We were looking at how much we were doing in New York and LA, and the ability to be able to get the Paris Theater, which is one of the last standalones where we can celebrate film, and to have that was a great thing,” Stuber added. “It’s such a great film community in that part of the city, and this was a similar opportunity. Our offices are right down the street. It’s a chance for Netflix as a company to have a home base, to come over here, do events, screenings, and retrospectives.”

Even at a time of great contention in the industry, as the very people who make movies possible fight for fair compensation, Netflix has had support from the industry and involved creatives in the project who see screening their work for the streamer on the big screen as a multifaceted opportunity.

“Many of the great filmmakers we’re working with, such as Guillermo del Toro, David Fincher, and Jane Campion, they really want to give back so this idea, there’s a place they can screen movies, and then speak about why that made them storytellers and apply it to their art is invaluable,” Stuber said. “When I was a young kid, and I would go to those, I was like a sponge. When you could hear someone you admire tell you why they did it, it’s the purpose of this community.”

“Much of what you hear from filmmakers is about the challenge, which I’m empathetic to. The economy of an exhibition is difficult. Sometimes, theaters don’t have the right screen, projection, or sound, and it’s difficult for a filmmaker who obsesses over the mix or the score to experience that. The fact that we have this and the Paris Theater, where they know they’re going to get the premium exhibition of their film, including all the sound and technical aspects that they care about, is great. They put the time in. They’ve been so excited, and we’ve brought them over and done some tours, we’ve asked their help to tune it in, and there is enthusiasm and excitement from all of them wanting to get it right.”

As well as several state-of-the-art cinematic and technical upgrades including Dolby Atmos sound, the Egyptian will be one of only five theaters in the US capable of projecting nitrate film. Of course, there is also a Netflix store.

The first filmmaker to get to showcase their work at the Egyptian, the home of the first-ever Hollywood movie premiere, is David Fincher, with his latest work, The Killer, screening to a sold-out audience at a lavish opening event.

Due to various factors, including the pandemic, the last few years have seen numerous shifts in the film industry, from how movies are distributed to the formats and environments in which audiences consume them. Among the changes was the resurgence in popularity of drive-in movie theaters. It’s reportedly one of the things movie theater chains have looked at as a potential area for growth and investment, so are drive-ins on Netflix’s radar?

“I think it really is interesting where you can create energy around something. If you can find the right movie and the right audience, that’s where you go, right?” Stuber mused. “Rocky Horror Picture Show has made this extraordinary career and legacy out of doing exactly that. There are things that I think are appealing, and you have to curate to an audience.”

“As human beings, we’re all overwhelmed. There’s so much information coming out, so much as being sold, so if I can tell you, ‘Hey, you can experience this slightly differently and in a really fun way,’ that’s obviously an opportunity. We think about that when we market everything now because everyone’s being marketed to, but how do you make it feel unique or special?”

The Egyptian is not the only historic movie theatre being given a new lease of life. While there are still former theaters in Downtown LA and the beloved Cinerama Dome and the Arclight in Hollywood that remain dark, Quentin Tarantino’s Vista Theatre in LA’s Los Feliz neighborhood is about to reopen its doors. It increases the filmmaker’s picture house portfolio to two as he already owns and operates the world-famous New Beverly Cinema on Beverly Boulevard.

Stuber will be the first to admit that preserving such operations is “imperative.”

“I think we owe it to those future generations,” he pledged. “As a kid, the movie theaters that meant the most to me were this theater and the Village in Westwood because they were unique. I remember when Westwood shut down for the Batman premiere, I was like, ‘Oh my God. This is amazing.’ I was like, ‘I can have a movie premiere at the Village.’ There’s something magical about these places, and we can’t let that stuff go away. To the point of screening movies, Guillermo del Toro said in the documentary we screened; you learn different perspectives when you see a film this way; you learn about narrative form and shot selection, and this is where all the dreamers predominantly come who are going to be the next Quentin Tarantino so we better hope that they are inspired the way that he was working in a video store.”

While Netflix’s Paris Theater venture in New York was something of a viability litmus test for a move into creating the brand’s own theatrical space, the Egyptian project also offers a new synergy with the streaming platform to take live experiences like red carpet premieres from Hollywood into people’s homes.

“As things evolve, and you recognize within live streaming where people want to be participatory, and the uniqueness of it,” Stuber said. “We’ve had great success with this fan event called Tudum, and we see that on YouTube and its opportunity. I don’t think there’s any reason if we have some big movie premiere like Bradley Cooper’s Maestro that as we evolved that we can’t probably let the whole world see those stars walk down the red carpet.”

“There’s something aspirational and beautiful about that, and if we can help people worldwide experience it with us, that’d be great.”