The Sphere at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures in March 2021.
TheAcademy Museum of Motion Pictures is a film museum that opened in 2021 located inLos Angeles, California, United States. The first large-scale museum of its kind in the United States,[2][3] it houses part of the Academy Collection, the largest film-related collection in the world, with more than 52 million objects from notable films, and is dedicated to the arts, history, science, and artists ofmoviemaking and thefilm industry.
Originally expected to open in 2020, its completion and opening was delayed due to theCOVID-19 pandemic.[3] The museum eventually opened to selected celebrity guests on September 25, 2021,[4] and to the public on September 30.[5][6]
The museum's first temporary exhibition was dedicated to the legendary animatorHayao Miyazaki, offering an extensive display of his work and celebrating his remarkable contributions to cinema.[7][8][9]
In April 2020, the museum opened the exhibition featuring costumes from theDebbie Reynolds, and her costume conservation studio.[10]
Soon after its opening in September 2021, the museum attracted criticism for a perceived lack of focus onJewish industry pioneers such asCarl Laemmle andJack Warner, as first reported by Sharon Rosen Leib inThe Forward.[11][12]Anti-Defamation League (ADL) CEOJonathan Greenblatt expressed his disappointment, stating "I would've hoped that any honest historical assessment of the motion picture industry — its origins, its development, its growth — would include the role that Jews played in building the industry from the ground up".Rolling Stone,Bill Maher andBari Weiss also raised the issue.[13][14][15] In January 2022, the Academy Museum announced plans to create a permanent exhibit dedicated to Jewish industry pioneers.[16]
In September 2021 the museum hosted it's inaugural gala, which is the major fundraising event that supports its programing, exhibitions and educational initiatives.[17]
On July 14, 2022, the museum voluntarily recognized Academy Museum Workers United as the bargaining representative for 160 of its employees.[18]
The design of the museum was overseen by Italian architectRenzo Piano. The exterior of the May Company building, now dedicated as theSaban Building following a $50 million donation from Cheryl andHaim Saban,[19] was refurbished with new limestone, as well as newgold leaf tiles for its corner "cylinder".[20]
Inside the Saban Building, the Sidney Poitier Grand Lobby features theSpielberg Family Gallery.[21][22][23] Additionally, the Shirley Temple Education Studio is devoted to workshops on filmmaking, and include a collection of items and memorabilia fromShirley Temple's career.[24]
A spherical structure was built as an extension of the main Saban Building, connected viaskyways, which features the glass-domed Dolby Family Terrace. The museum features two theater halls that are used for film screenings, programming, and other special events; the 945-seatDavid Geffen Theater in the Sphere, and the smaller, 277-seatTed Mann Theater in the lower level of the Saban Building.[25][26][27][28]
Academy Museum Gala is conducted every year to raise funds by public display of cinematic experience that includes showing filmmaking process in a raw form, or showing history of cinema.[17]
The 2024 Academy Museum Gala celebrated the acclaimed museum’s third anniversary and honored Academy Award-nominated actorPaul Mescal; Academy Award-winning actress, singer, and dancerRita Moreno; and Academy Award-winning writer and directorQuentin Tarantino.[32]
The inaugural temporary collection of the Marilyn and Jeffrey Katzenberg Gallery was devoted to Japanese animatorHayao Miyazaki.[2][44] The exhibition opened on September 30, 2021, and was on view until June 5, 2022. This was the first time Miyazaki’s work was featured in a major retrospective in the United States. The collection also displayed pieces on public view for the first time outside of Japan.[45] The 11,000-square-foot exhibition features more than 300 objects, including original image boards, character designs, storyboards, layouts, backgrounds, posters, and cels. The exhibition’s curators, Jessica Niebel and assistant curator J. Raúl Guzmán worked withStudio Ghibli and theGhibli Museum in Japan to gather all the materials. There are interactive installations displayed throughout the exhibit, the “Mother Tree,” Skyview, and Magical Forest, to name a few, each inspired by a different Miyazaki Film.[46]
After the Hayao Miyazaki exhibition, the museum presentedRegeneration: Black Cinema 1898-1971, which explored the history of Black participation in American cinema from its beginnings to just beyond the civil rights movement.[1][47]
FollowingRegeneration, the museum openedJohn Waters: Pope of Trash, the first comprehensive exhibition dedicated to the filmmaker, exploring his process, themes, and style.[48]
The Academy Museum also debuted withThe Path to Cinema: Highlights from the Richard Balzer Collection. This was replaced in May 2024, when the museum opened its first permanent exhibition, "Hollywoodland: Jewish Founders and the Making of a Movie Capital".[49][50]
Later in 2024, the Museum opened "Color in Motion: Chromatic Explorations of Cinema", investigating the role of color in film, from the scientific and technological advancements that made it possible, to its impact on viewers and uses by filmmakers. The Museum also created "Cyberpunk: Envisioning Possible Futures Through Cinema", which examined the influence of the science fiction subgenrecyberpunk on cinema culture, featuring the films and futuristic themes known internationally and across generations.[51]
Galleries in the museum are dedicated to a variety of topics. Inaugural galleries covered:[1][52]
A "largely uncritical" exhibit on the history of the film industry, slated to be called "Where Dreams Are Made: A Journey Inside the Movies", was scrapped by Kramer to be replaced with a more "complex, complete" exhibit.[1]
The Museum houses two movie theaters: the 952-seatDavid Geffen Theater and the 277-seatTed Mann Theatre. Both theaters feature state-of-the art equipment for public screening programs, live performances and film premiers. The David Geffen theatre can show 16, 35 and 70-millimeter film formats withDolby sound.[55]
The museum is also a site for Los Angeles premieres of new films and television series.[62][63] Films and series that have held premieres here include:
Wilshire/Fairfax (2025)
20
