Alhambra Cinémarseille
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History of cinema in Marseille
Marseille and the cinema are one, it’s a very old story that goes back to 1896 when the first film of the Lumières Brothers saw the light of day in the Grand Hôtel du Louvre et de la Paix, just two months after the world premiere in Paris. Many halls were built later, with an architecture modeled on theater halls, particularly in the Old Port and in Noailles.
1930 was a significant year for cinema in the life of the people of Marseille. There were many local cinemas: we remember establisments such as the ‘Regent’, considered as the most luxurious and comfortable cinema in Marseille, the ‘Rialto’, the ‘ Majestic’, the ‘Rex’, or even the ‘Star’… Marseille will even inaugurate the first french drive-in boulevard Schloesing, where Marseille residents could enjoy an open-air film from their car!
From the 1970s, local cinemas have gradually disappeared : there are only two left, César and Variétés. Larger and modern ones have emerged, called multiplexes which have flourished on the outskirts of the city center: Les 3 Palmes, cinéma the Prado, Pathé Marseille or the multiplexe Europacorp at the Joliette area, ultra modern and futuristic…
