Jane Crowther

In his Oscars battle cry Anora director Sean Baker called for cinemas to be saved as a ‘vital part of our culture’. Once on every high street, the local picture house/fleapit/movie theatre has buckled under pressure from VHS, malls, developers and streaming, their stories reflecting that of 20th and 21st century culture. But as physical media continues to be re-embraced and we return to that special communal theatrical experience post-Covid, the churches where we worship movies should have their moment in the spotlight. In my new book, Silver Screens, I chose a hundred picture palaces with tales as compelling as any of the blockbusters they screen; architecturally magnificent, historical footnotes, famous haunts, world firsts and, more often than not, kept running by the passion of movie fans (Quentin Tarantino among them). Here’s 10 that are worth the price of the movie ticket alone, regardless of how good the show is… Photograph: Sean Pavone / Shutterstock.com The one to visit... for the Hollywood lore The Chinese Theatre, LA Probably the most recognisable cinema in the world, this 1928-built ‘atmospheric’ has been in almost as many movies as it’s shown. Four million fans a year visit for the Hollywood location on the Walk of Fame, famous footprints in the cement outside, film ephemera indoors and the state-of-the-art sound and projection. Iconic. Photograph: Jane CrowtherThe Circuit Playhouse was a favourite of Elvis’s The one to visit... to feel like a king The Circ