El Capitan Theatre, Los Angeles — Visitor Guide & Things to Do Nearby

Opened in 1926, El Capitan Theatre is Hollywood's most iconic movie palace, a Spanish Colonial Revival masterpiece. The ornate facade with its towering vertical sign marks the corner of Hollywood's most glamorous block. The interior is a riot of baroque decoration: gilded plasterwork, carved wood, ornate chandeliers, and a massive pipe organ that still plays before films. Disney renovated it extensively in 1989, and now it hosts Disney premiere events and major blockbusters. The theatre represents the era when going to the movies was an event, when the building itself was part of the show, when escape meant dressing up and walking into a palace designed for dreams.