TCL Chinese Theatre
1927 movie palace on Hollywood Blvd famous for its forecourt of celebrity hand- and footprints.
The call
Worth it if you are traveling with kids and you are traveling as a couple.
Why
- 01
The one genuinely rewarding stop on this stretch of Hollywood Blvd.
Our read - 02
The forecourt of the 1927 pagoda is smaller and more intimate than photos suggest — you're crouching among nearly 200 sets of hand- and footprints in cement, and the fun is the specificity: Marilyn Monroe's prints, the wands and Daniel Radcliffe's hands from Harry Potter, R2-D2's wheel tracks.
Our read
Is it a fit?
Go if
This is your first trip to Los Angeles
The single rewarding thing on this block — treat it as a five-minute hunt for prints you actually recognize.
You are traveling with kids
With kids, TCL Chinese Theatre is an easy yes.
You are traveling as a couple
As a couple, TCL Chinese Theatre is an easy yes.
You are traveling solo
Solo, TCL Chinese Theatre is an easy yes.
Think twice if
You are watching the budget
TCL Chinese Theatre can strain a tight budget. Go only when it is a priority.
You only have one day
Keep TCL Chinese Theatre only when it outranks a half-day elsewhere.
You care about the visual experience
TCL Chinese Theatre offers some beauty & photography, but not enough to make it the reason to go.
Plan it well
- Cost
- Free (forecourt); IMAX films ticketed
- Timing
- Morning, before the forecourt fills with tour groups.
- Booking
- Forecourt is free and walk-up; IMAX films are ticketed.
- Allow
- 20-40 minutes
- Accessibility
- Forecourt is flat and accessible.
- Getting there
- Metro B (Red) Line to Hollywood/Highland, steps away.