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It’s award season right now, which means A-list Angelenos are readying their acceptance speeches and practicing how to win with humility or lose with grace. So pardon our manners, as we’re about to gloat for a minute—because it feels good when L.A. comes out on top.
Time Out just published its celebration of the 100 greatest cinemas in the world right now, and Los Angeles has claimed four spots on the list, including the No. 1 position. That’s right: The TCL Chinese Theatre has been crowned the best place on the planet to see a movie, with the New Beverly Cinema following not far behind at No. 5; the Egyptian Theatre and the Academy Museum’s David Geffen Theater both appear on the list, as well.
Dublin’s Stella Cinema Rathmines, New York’s Film Forum and London’s BFI Southbank fall in between the pair of top-five L.A. institutions, and the rest of the feature spotlights everything from a grand Parisian movie palace to a Canadian cinema with only a dozen seats. The list focuses on single-use cinemas as opposed to multipurpose venues that happen to screen films—so while the Hollywood Bowl is a magical place to catch an outdoor screening on a summer evening, it wasn’t eligible for this list.
For out-of-towners, the Chinese Theatre and its handprints and recognizable red-carpet events are about as synonymous with Hollywood as the neighborhood’s hilltop sign—and likely more of a touristy landmark than a place to actually go see a movie. But Angelenos willing to beeline it past the Walk of Fame and the forecourt know that this 1927 pagoda-shaped movie palace is easily the finest movie theater in the city. (Anora director Sean Baker vouched for the spot in a previous Time Out interview, saying “I’ll spend the extra $10 just to see the latest mainstream film playing in the amazing IMAX auditorium.”) Every screening here feels like it’s the opening night of Star Wars in 1977; moviegoing becomes an event when you’re gazing at the auditorium’s radiant red curtain, grandiose golden columns and dazzling starburst on the ceiling.
As for the New Beverly Cinema, the cult-favorite, always-on-film venue landed at No. 5 largely on the strength of its one-of-a-kind programming. The Quentin Tarantino–owned repertory cinema only screens 35mm (and sometimes 16mm) prints—often from the director’s personal collection. Local cinephiles flock here for a mix of everything from world cinema and kung fu films to obscure horror and exploitation movies, in a setting that Knives Out director Rian Johnson likens to “a really fun raucous church ceremony.”
Coming in at No. 51 on the list, the Egyptian Theatre has been hosting excellent screenings and Q&As under the stewardship of local nonprofit American Cinematheque since the late ’90s. But the 1922 venue—like the Chinese Theatre, erected on Hollywood Boulevard by showman Sid Grauman—finally has decor as exquisite as its programming since new owner Netflix wrapped up a three-year renovation project in 2023.
And finally, the Academy Museum’s David Geffen Theater (that’s the massive soap bubble–like structure behind the museum) landed at No. 58 on the strength of its schedule and technical bona fides. The 1,000-seat auditorium screens Oscar winners, from-the-archives treasures and blockbuster remasters alike, and can accommodate a staggering assortment of film formats, including notoriously flammable nitrate.
Check out the full list of the 100 greatest cinemas in the world right now.