The Academy Museum of Motion Pictures will throw open its doors for free on Sunday, marking five years since it first opened to the public with a full day of activities, food and a 35mm film screening at its Wilshire Boulevard home. Visitors will get free access to the museum's galleries and exhibitions from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., no advance reservation required.
According to MyNewsLA.com, free admission on Sunday is available on a first-come, first-served basis at the museum, located at 6067 Wilshire Blvd. in Los Angeles. The milestone comes almost exactly five years after the institution officially opened to the public on September 30, 2021, following a celebrity premiere five days earlier, according to Wikipedia. Standard general admission normally runs $25 for adults, $19 for seniors and $15 for college students, though entry is already permanently free for visitors 17 and under and California residents with an EBT card, per e-architect.
A Full Slate of Free Programming
The day's centerpiece is a free 2 p.m. screening of Steven Spielberg's Munich in 35mm at the David Geffen Theater, the report notes. The 2005 film stars Eric Bana and follows a Mossad agent who assembles a team to track down and kill men deemed responsible for the murders of Israeli hostages at the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich. The film received five Academy Award nominations, including nods for best picture and director.
Beginner-friendly line dancing workshops will run at 1 and 3 p.m. at the Walt Disney Company Piazza, each lasting about 30 minutes, in partnership with Bootleg Linedance. From 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., visitors can also take part in ribbon-making, creating personalized ribbons inspired by their favorite movies.
Food and Exhibitions on Site
Hungry visitors will find tacos and other food available for purchase from Fanny's between noon and 5 p.m., while Fresh Fruit by Ruth will offer esquites and aguas frescas during the same midday stretch. The museum's exhibitions on view include one dedicated to Studio Ghibli's Ponyo, giving Sunday's crowd more to explore beyond the free screening and workshops.
A Building With a Long Backstory
The free admission day caps a project with roots that stretch back nearly a century. The idea of a permanent Los Angeles museum dedicated to cinema was first floated by Academy founders Mary Pickford and Douglas Fairbanks in 1929, according to the SCI-Arc Channel — meaning it took 92 years for that vision to become a permanent institution.
The museum's campus fuses a restored 1939 Streamline Moderne department store building with a striking modern addition. The main structure, designed by Albert C. Martin Sr. and designated Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument No. 566, was renamed the Saban Building following a $50 million gift from Cheryl and Haim Saban, per the LA Conservancy. Attached to it is a 300,000-square-foot campus designed by Pritzker Prize-winning architect Renzo Piano, featuring a concrete-and-glass spherical pavilion that holds the 1,000-seat David Geffen Theater and the rooftop Dolby Family Terrace, according to Sunbell.
Getting there wasn't cheap or fast. Planning and construction spanned nearly a decade and faced major delays and cost overruns, with total project costs climbing to an estimated $482 million from an initial $250 million projection, as reported by CBS News.
Leadership and Growing Audience
The museum drew over 1 million visitors in its first year of operation, with Academy leadership reporting that more than half of attendees were under 40 years old, per a TIME report. Amy Homma, who took leadership of the museum in 2024, had her role expanded in January 2026 to also oversee the broader 52-million-item Academy Collection, the Academy Press Office announced at the time.
Sunday's free-admission event also gives visitors an early look at the collection's biggest draws, including a pair of ruby slippers from The Wizard of Oz, the original Jaws fiberglass shark model nicknamed Bruce, the Rosebud sled from Citizen Kane and the typewriter used to draft Psycho, according to Meetings + Events. Those wanting an extra thrill can pay $15 separately for The Oscars Experience, an interactive simulation letting guests step onto a virtual Dolby Theatre stage to experience accepting an Academy Award.
The free anniversary celebration arrives just two days after Hoodline reported that the museum is gearing up for its 6th annual gala, honoring stars including Charlize Theron, Colman Domingo and John Carpenter, underscoring how the institution balances high-profile fundraising events with efforts to keep its doors accessible to the wider public.
