Le Grand Rex, Paris, France
"The biggest movie theatre still operating in Paris, the Grand Rex opened on 8th December 1932 with “Les Trois Mousquetaires”(The Three Musketeers) starring Aime Simon-Girard, Henri Rollan & Thomy Bourdelle. It was built for independent operator Jacques Haik, who already operated the 5,000 seat l'Olympia music hall, and was the man who made Charlie Chaplin famous in France.
In 1933 it was taken over by the Gaumont circuit who operated it until 1941, when it was taken over by the German Nazi occupiers and it became a Soldatenkino, for the use of German troops on leave. It was damaged by a bomb in September 1942 and remained closed until its reopening on 13th October 1944 during the Liberation of Paris.
The Rex Theatre Jacques Haik was designed by architect Auguste Bluysen in an Art Deco style, both externally and in its foyers, dance hall and restaurant areas. The Atmospheric/Moroccan style auditorium was the work of architect/interior decorator Maurice Dufrene, styled in collaboration with noted American theatre architect John Eberson.
Originally seating was planned for 3,700, but was reduced to 3,300-seats on orchestra, mezzanine and balcony levels. It is in a perfect shape a big screen called “The Grand Large”, a screen on the stage within the proscenium that can be removed.
...
In 2004, a new project for 12 screens and a remodelling keeping the main auditorium intact was planned, but by 2009, this had been abandoned. Since 1988 many films screened in the original auditorium are now screened on a huge screen named “The Great Large” which drops down from the ceiling in front of the proscenium arch. The Grand Rex was renovated in 2017.
...
On October 5 1981, le Ministere de la Culture added Le Grand Rex to the list of historic monuments." - https://lnkd.in/e-wvK44m
"In the early 1930s, Jacques Haïk, a wealthy movie producer and distributor and the owner of the Olympia, gets the idea of building a very extravagant cinema: it could have a capacity of more than 5000 spectators on a surface area of 2,000 m², with a ceiling peaking at more than 30 meters, representing a luminous starry vault.
Its designers are the architect Auguste Bluysen and the engineer John Eberson. The façade is designed by the sculptor Henri-Édouard Navarre and the decoration of the great hall by Maurice Dufrène.
The Grand Rex is a scale model of the famous Radio City Music Hall in New York City." - https://lnkd.in/exqA9uBq
acoustics measurements soundsystem sounddesign audio proaudio sound loudspeaker surroundsound immersiveaudio audioengineering audioengineer signalprocessing cinema surroundsound culture architecture audiovisual audiovisualsolutions
movietheater movies