On The Boulevard: Kodak Theatre

Cirque Du Soleil Iris will exclusively play the Kodak Thetre.

Grand Entrance along Hollywood Blvd

This is one of a series of posts called "On the Boulevard" about attractions on Hollywood Boulevard.

For true movie fans, a visit to the Kodak Theatre is a must and serves as the centerpiece of the Hollywood & Highland Center. The $94 million venue opened in 2001 and seats 3,332 to become the permanent home of the annual Academy Awards ceremony.

The venue also serves to host concerts and is a location for presidential debates. It has been a location for American Idol and will be the exclusive home to Cirque Du Soleil Iris billed as "a journey through the world of cinema."

Begin your visit at the grand entrance along Hollywood Boulevard. The glimmering two-story Awards Walk features backlit plaques of every Best Picture Winner on the columns on either side of a sweeping staircase that leads to the theatre.

Above and below: Awards Walk

Columns listing every Best Picture Winner.

Now there are guided tours offered but there has to be something said for a venue to call itself the 'Kodak Theatre' and not allow any photographs to be taken inside. It is spectacular to see the auditorium and stand on the theatre stage. Tour guides also give visitors an idea of the experience of guests attending the Oscars ceremony.

When visiting its obvious the theatre is surrounded by so much retail along Hollywood Boulevard and even on both sides on two levels of Awards Walk. During the Academy Awards, all these businesses close for the day. All the retailers along Awards Walk are hidden by curtains and the shops along Hollywood Boulevard obscured by bleachers and barricades. Even the marquee of the El Capitan Theatre across the street removes the name of the current feature film playing the movie house.

Rotunda fronting the theatre's doors.

More info at kodaktheatre.com. Tours take place Mon-Sun 10am-4pm and depart every half hour from level 2 and lasts about 30 minutes. Tickets available at the theatre box office located on the first level. Prices: Adults $25, Children $10. CityPass attraction. (note: photos from 2009 & 2010).