White House Family Theater

The White House Family Theater is a small movie theater located in 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 present venue was converted from a cloakroom in 1942. It seats up to 42 people.^[1]

White House Family Theater

Guests watch Men in Black 3 in 3D in the White House Family Theater in 2012.
Address	1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, Washington, D.C., United States
Coordinates	38.898672°N 77.036756°W / 38.898672; -77.036756
Owner	United States government
Operator	Office of the Chief Usher
Type	Movie Theater
Capacity	42
Opened	1942

History

Ronald Reagan and Nancy Reagan watch a film in the White House Family Theater in 1986.

The White House Family Theater is located in the East Wing of the White House. The first film screened in the White House was The Birth of a Nation in 1915; however, early film viewings occurred in the main building as the facility lacked a dedicated theater. Originally a cloakroom known as the "Hat Box", the White House Family Theater was converted into its current use in 1942 on the orders of Franklin Roosevelt.^[2][3]

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 is considered a valuable marketing tool by studios and, during 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".^[3] In addition to its use screening films, the theater has also been used by presidents to rehearse speeches.^[4]

Films viewed

As of 1988, 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.^[5][6][3] According to a list of film screenings obtained under a Freedom of Information Act request filed by Gizmodo, the first film watched by Bill Clinton in the White House Family Theater was Lorenzo's Oil on January 27, 1993. The final film watched was Chocolat on January 6, 2001.^[5]

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.^[7][8]

The first film screened during the presidency of Donald Trump was Finding Dory.^[9] 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.^[10]

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. "Securing the White House". White House Historical Association. White House Historical Association. Retrieved February 10, 2017.
3. Johnson, Ted (July 23, 2011). "Now playing at the White House". Variety. Retrieved February 10, 2017.
4. Patterson, Bradley (2004). The White House Staff: Inside the West Wing and Beyond. Brookings Institution Press. p. 168. ISBN 0815798229.
5. Novak, Matt (January 29, 2016). "Here Is Every Single Movie Bill Clinton Watched In The White House". Gizmodo.
6. Mancini, Mark (October 10, 2013). "7 Fun Facts About the White House Movie Theater". Mental Floss. Retrieved February 10, 2017.
7. "The Family Theater". The White House. Retrieved 2021-12-05.
8. Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks at the White House, retrieved 2021-12-05
9. Harmon, Steph (January 29, 2017). "Finding Dory, a movie about travellers, is Trump's first White House screening". The Guardian. Retrieved February 10, 2017.
10. Heller, Karen (December 30, 2022). "The newly relevant relationship between Trump and 'Sunset Blvd.'". The Washington Post. Retrieved December 30, 2022.