Dolby Theatre

A grand stairway flanked by Art Deco columns leads to the Dolby Theatre's entrance, with each column displaying the name of every Best Picture Oscar winner since the award’s inception. Blank spaces are left reserved for future champions all the way through the year 2071. To find this entrance, you have to walk to the back of the Ovation Hollywood shopping and entertainment complex, where the theater serves as the anchor tenant. The whole space was engineered specifically for large-scale, televised broadcasts. Its primary role is serving as the permanent home for the annual Academy Awards, a function it has held since it opened in 2002. The five-level grand lobby takes some inspiration from the Paris Opera House, leading into an auditorium that seats around 3,400 people across an orchestra level and three balconies. The stage itself is one of the largest in the country, and the entire room is wired for broadcast, with a specialized underground bunker connecting to media vehicles on the street. A unique section of orchestra seating can even be hydraulically lifted to create a "media cockpit" for camera and sound management during a live show. Since Dolby took over the naming rights in 2012, the venue has been outfitted with its signature technology. The sound system is a full Dolby Atmos setup with 215 individually powered speakers, and the imaging is handled by Dolby Vision. When it isn't hosting the Oscars, the theater’s calendar is filled with touring Broadway shows, major concerts, and other televised events like *America's Got Talent*. For those not attending a show, guided tours offer a look inside the auditorium and a rundown of its history with the Academy Awards. Parking is available in the same structure, but the garage can get heavily congested right after a performance ends.