What is the oldest cinema in the world?
In a blog posting last summer, I reported that the Phoenix cinema in north London first opened in 1910 as “The East Finchley Picturedrome”, offering ‘the world’s finest picture plays’, it has been open as a cinema ever since, and it claims to be the oldest purpose-built continuously serving cinema in the UK – it has never been a bingo hall, snooker hall or dark even during two World Wars.
Recently a reader of NighHawk has drawn attention to her local cinema and staked a claim to the title. The historic Curzon Community Cinema in Clevedon, North Somerset, in the west of England is claimed as the oldest purpose-built, continually operating cinema in the world. The original building opened in 1912 and films have been presented on this site ever since. The Curzon is now a community cinema, operated as a registered charity.
So – who is right? Or is there another claim?
March 12th, 2009 at 2:03 pm
The historic Cinema Lumière in Pisa (Italy) is the oldest purpose-built, continually operating cinema in the world. The Lumière opened on December 16th, 1905.
The first commercial screening of movies with fully synchronized sound took place in the Cinema Lumière (Pisa – Italy) in October 19th 1905.
March 12th, 2009 at 7:17 pm
The oldest cinema in the world is the Pionier Cinema which opened as the Helios on the 26 September 1909 in Stettin, Germany (now Szczecin, Poland) and is still in operation today.
http://www.kino-pionier.com.pl/certy.html
January 7th, 2010 at 10:10 am
Roxburgh, New Zealand has a Cinema that has been operating since 1898.
December 3rd, 2011 at 9:49 am
The Daguanlou, in Beijing, was opened by Ren Fengtai (1850–1932) in 1903. It is still operating.
December 3rd, 2011 at 12:45 pm
And I have been there, Roger – see here.
January 28th, 2018 at 2:19 pm
Does anyone know of an older building repurposed to house a cinema than the Odeon in Salisbury, Wilts? You enter through a medieval banquetting hall, the Hall of John Halle, built around 1470, although the auditorium itself (now 5 less impressive screens) was housed in an early 20th century building designed in faux medieval style to match. Can anywhere in the world beat this for an ancient building?