TCL Grauman’s Chinese Theatre

The forecourt of this iconic movie theater may be a tourist-choked hot mess, but beyond those foot and hand prints, movie magic awaits. For the average out-of-town visitor to L.A., you’re probably just here to see the concrete imprints of Marilyn Monroe and R2-D2 and the world’s most recognizable red carpet photo op. Maybe you’ll be satisfied with that alone—we’d rate that aspect more of a “meh”—but we implore you to step foot in the palatial lobby of the 1927 pagoda-shaped palace. Inside the 932-seat auditorium, the radiant red curtain, grandiose golden columns and dazzling starburst on the ceiling make every screening feel like it’s the opening night of Star Wars in 1977. First-run flicks here simply look superb, possibly the best in the entire city since the theater’s IMAX conversion in 2013—and one of the finest places to see a film on the entire planet. Just a heads up, though, that the historic theater is attached to a six-screen multiplex; unless this is your local theater, ignore those smaller spaces and stick to the main theater (listed online as IMAX or auditorium 7).