Movies

The Oscars are leaving Hollywood

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The Academy Awards will soon have a new home, one that doesn’t also include an attached shopping centre.

In 2029, the Oscars will move from the Dolby Theatre in the heart of Hollywood to the Peacock Theatre at L.A. Live, a sprawling tourist hub in Downtown Los Angeles, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced Thursday.

The Academy said the Peacock Theatre, also the site of the Primetime Emmy Awards since 2008, will undergo “comprehensive enhancements” as part of the new deal with sports and entertainment behemoth AEG, which owns L.A. Live.

L.A. Live plaza — whose dining options currently include sports bar restaurant chain Yard House — will be the setting of the iconic Oscars red carpet, the release read.

The venue change will align with the Oscars’ new streaming home on YouTube, also starting in 2029.

Since 2002, the Oscars have been held at the Dolby Theatre, formerly the Kodak Theatre, on Hollywood Boulevard. It sits next to the famed TCL Theatre (formerly the Grauman’s Chinese Theatre) and amid the Hollywood Walk of Fame, with clear views of the Hollywood sign if you find yourself in the right spot.

The 3,400-seat theatre was built specifically to hold the Academy Awards telecast with design touches that evoke the golden age of Hollywood. Columns that display the names of past best picture winners line the famed steps up to the theatre.

While the inside of the theatre is a glamorous, bespoke representation of Hollywood in all its glory, the theatre sits inside a shopping complex that includes retail stores like Sephora and Lids, a jarring contrast from the black-tie-ness of the Oscars.

For those unfamiliar with the landscape, a mall elevator that takes stars from one level to another overlooks a Dave & Busters on their way to the top deck of the Ovation Hollywood complex to attend the Governor’s Ball, the Academy’s official after party.

In many ways, the relocation to L.A. Live has a similar vibe, except instead of retail stores, the Peacock Theatre is surrounded by a Lucky Strike Bowling Alley, several smaller theatres, and, of course, the Crypto.com Arena, home of the LA Lakers and the Grammy Awards.

The Oscars have been held downtown in years past, having found previous homes at the Shrine Auditorium and the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion.

According to the release, the Oscars will be televised on ABC and held at the Dolby Theatre through 2028, the 100th Oscars ceremony, before its big move to YouTube and Downtown Los Angeles.

Until then, happy shopping.

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DISCLAIMER: The Views, Comments, Opinions, Contributions and Statements made by Readers and Contributors on this platform do not necessarily represent the views or policy of Multimedia Group Limited.