Inside the Oscars 2025 venue: The secrets of the Dolby Theatre
The venue in downtown Los Angeles will once again host Hollywood’s biggest event of the year. Here’s everything you need to know about it.
The 97th Academy Awards will take place on Sunday March 2, with Hollywood’s biggest and brightest stars to be rewarded for their achievements in the film industry over the last 12 months or so. For the first time, Conan O’Brien will host the event, which starts at 6:30 p.m. ET / 3:30 p.m. PT at the iconic Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles. Here’s everything you need to know about the Oscars venue.
Follow all the information on the 2025 Oscars
- Oscars 2025, live: ceremony, speeches, and all the winners of the Academy Awards, live.
- List of winners for the 2025 Academy Awards: all the awardees at the Oscars in Los Angeles.
- 2025 Oscar for Best Picture
- 2025 Oscar for Best Director
- 2025 Oscar for Best Actress
- 2025 Oscar for Best Actor
- 2025 Oscar for Best Supporting Actress
- 2025 Oscar for Best Supporting Actor
- Oscars 2025: What is the order of awards and how many categories are there at the Academy Awards?
- What time are the 2025 Oscars? Schedule, TV, how to watch, and where to follow the Oscar ceremony online.
When did the Dolby Theatre become the home of the Oscars? Why was it built?
Although it has hosted all kinds of ceremonies and shows, the Dolby Theatre is primarily known for being the permanent home of the Oscars since 2002, with the exception of 2021, when the gala was held at Union Station in LA (mainly due to the covid-19 pandemic).
The theatre is located between Hollywood Boulevard and Highland Avenue in downtown Los Angeles. Formerly known as The Kodak Theatre, it opened in November 2001 and was built to help the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) overcome logistical issues at other venues, that had a multitude of other events taking place.
From 2001 to 2012, the theatre was sponsored by the Eastman Kodak Company, which paid $75 million to acquire the building’s naming rights. After Kodak filed for bankruptcy, it temporarily became The Hollywood and Highland Center until Dolby Laboratories secured a 20-year naming rights deal until 2032.
Dolby Theatre design: capacity, structure, entrance, main hall...
This building was designed by the renowned architect David Rockwell of the Rockwell Group. With the capacity for 3,400 people (and a press room which holds more than 1,500), the venue has a large stage measuring 34 metres by 18 metres, with the audience chamber structured like a silver-leafed “tiara”.
The theatre is equipped with Dolby Atmos cinema sound playback, as you might expect, given its name.
Art Deco columns are the defining feature of the theatre’s entrance. Once inside, the lobby’s five levels are connected by a grand spiral staircase with cherrywood balustrades. The theatre halls contains 26 hanging photographs of previous Oscar winners... perhaps some new faces will be up there after the 2025 ceremony?
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