White House Family Theater

White House Family Theater
President Obama greeting viewers before a screening of Men in Black 3 in 3D in the White House Family Theater in 2012
Interactive map of White House Family Theater
Address1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, Washington, D.C., United States
LocationEast Wing of the White House
Coordinates38°53′52″N 77°02′10″W / 38.8977°N 77.036°W / 38.8977; -77.036
OwnerUnited States government
OperatorOffice of the Chief Usher
Capacity42
Construction
OpenedJuly 1942
DemolishedOctober 2025

The White House Family Theater was a small movie theater located in the East Wing of the White House in Washington, D.C., for the use of the president and his family. Originally there was no room in the White House specifically for screening films, so the venue was converted from a cloakroom in 1942. It seated up to 42 people.[1]

It was demolished along with the rest of the East Wing in October 2025. In January 2026, the White House confirmed plans to build a new theater as part of a new East Wing containing a ballroom.[2][3][4] The following month, the updated plans revealed that the original 42-seat configuration of the original theater would remain when the renovated one would be built.[5]

History

Prior to the 1942 construction of the theater, early film viewings occurred in the main building as the facility lacked a dedicated theater. The first film screened in the White House was The Birth of a Nation in 1915.[6][7]

Originally a cloakroom known as the "Hat Box", the White House Family Theater was converted into a dedicated movie theater in 1942 on the orders of Franklin Roosevelt.[6][7]

Traditionally, American studios have made their films available to the White House on request, either directly or through the Motion Picture Association of America. Landing a screening in the White House Family Theater was considered a valuable marketing tool by studios.[7]

In the 1980s, the motion picture industry financed renovation of the facility, which added terraced seating and other amenities. During the presidency of George W. Bush the facility was redecorated in "movie palace red".[7] In addition to its use in screening films, the theater was used by presidents to rehearse speeches.[8]

In late October 2025, the theater, along with the rest of the East Wing, was demolished for the construction of a new East Wing to house the White House State Ballroom. However, a source familiar with the matter revealed to the Hollywood Reporter that "the movie theater will be modernized and renovated with the rest of the East Wing."[2][9]

Films viewed

As of 1998, Jimmy Carter had viewed more films in the White House Family Theater than any other person, having watched 480 films in the facility during his four-year term, beginning with All The President's Men.[10][11][7] The first film watched by Bill Clinton in the White House Family Theater was Lorenzo's Oil on January 27, 1993. The final film Clinton watched was Chocolat on January 6, 2001.[10]

In March 2010, the series The Pacific was screened at the White House Family Theater. President Obama, members of Congress, the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW), and Women in Military Service for America Memorial were joined by producers Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks to watch the first hour of the series.[12][13]

The first film screened during the presidency of Donald Trump was Finding Dory.[14] Trump also screened Sunset Boulevard, one of his favorite films, on multiple occasions. President Trump also screened the film Joker on November 16, 2019, shortly after the film's release, and it was reported he greatly enjoyed the film and found it intriguing.[15]

Shortly after moving into the White House upon the reelection of Trump, JD Vance shared that he watched Gladiator II with his wife.[16]

Further reading

  • Weinberg, Mark. Movie Nights with the Reagans. Simon & Schuster, 2018. ISBN 9781501133882.
  • Films Viewed by President and Mrs. Reagan – A list of movies screened by Ronald and Nancy Reagan, hosted by the Reagan Presidential Library.

References

  1. ^ "Obama's gadgets: What tech does the president use?". ZDNet. February 16, 2016. Archived from the original on December 22, 2014. Retrieved February 10, 2017.
  2. ^ a b Weprin, Alex; McClintcok, Pamela (October 23, 2025). "Historic White House Movie Theater Demolished as Part of $300 Million Ballroom Build". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved October 23, 2025.
  3. ^ Kriston Capps; Linda Poon (January 8, 2026). "New Design Plans Revealed for White House Ballroom". Bloomberg.
  4. ^ https://www.vulture.com/article/secrets-of-the-now-demolished-white-house-movie-theater.html Secrets of the Now-Demolished White House Movie Theater
  5. ^ Weprin, Alex (February 19, 2026). "Plans For New White House East Wing Show Renovated 42-Seat Movie Theatre". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved February 19, 2026.
  6. ^ a b "Securing the White House". White House Historical Association. Retrieved February 10, 2017.
  7. ^ a b c d e Johnson, Ted (July 23, 2011). "Now playing at the White House". Variety. Retrieved February 10, 2017.
  8. ^ Patterson, Bradley (2004). The White House Staff: Inside the West Wing and Beyond. Brookings Institution Press. p. 168. ISBN 0815798229.
  9. ^ Superville, Darlene; Martin, Jacquelyn (October 23, 2025). "White House East Wing demolished as Trump moves forward with ballroom construction, AP photos show". apnews.com. The Associated Press. Retrieved October 23, 2025.
  10. ^ a b Novak, Matt (January 29, 2016). "Here Is Every Single Movie Bill Clinton Watched In The White House". Gizmodo. Archived from the original on November 8, 2020. Retrieved February 11, 2017.
  11. ^ Mancini, Mark (October 10, 2013). "7 Fun Facts About the White House Movie Theater". Mental Floss. Retrieved February 10, 2017.
  12. ^ "The Family Theater". The White House. Retrieved December 5, 2021.
  13. ^ Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks at the White House, retrieved December 5, 2021
  14. ^ Harmon, Steph (January 29, 2017). "Finding Dory, a movie about travellers, is Trump's first White House screening". The Guardian. Retrieved February 10, 2017.
  15. ^ Heller, Karen (December 30, 2022). "The newly relevant relationship between Trump and 'Sunset Blvd.'". The Washington Post. Retrieved December 30, 2022.
  16. ^ Theo Von Clips (June 10, 2025). JD Vance on His First Night Being Vice President. Retrieved July 3, 2025 – via YouTube.
  • Media related to Family theater (White House) at Wikimedia Commons
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 unless otherwise noted. Additional terms may apply for the media files.