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Scottish Sun
19-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Scottish Sun
Inside ‘world's largest cinema' the ‘Big King' with 2,700-seater triple-decker ‘grand hall' and giant 3,000sq ft screen
This cinema even survived bombing IT'S A BLOCKBUSTER Inside 'world's largest cinema' the 'Big King' with 2,700-seater triple-decker 'grand hall' and giant 3,000sq ft screen THE Grand Rex, nestled in the heart of Paris, boasts the title of the world's largest cinema. Its main hall seats over 2,700 people across three tiers - all beneath a dazzling starry ceiling that towers nearly 100 feet high. 7 Le Grand Rex ('The Big King') cinema and concert venue is located in Paris' 2nd arrondissement on the grands boulevards Credit: Getty 7 Its main hall has a capacity of over 2,700 people Credit: AFP 7 It also has three tiers and a starry vaulted ceiling Credit: AFP The hall also boasts a screen known as 'Le Grand Large' ('The Great Large'), stretching over 81 feet wide and 37 feet tall - making it over 3,000 square feet. Another of the hall's stage screens, used for live performances and concerts, spans nearly 55 feet wide and 23 feet tall. The screens are powered by three projectors. The building complex has seven screening halls, one concert and show venue, a club and a museum. The giant cinema was envisioned in the early 1930s by wealthy French film producer Jacques Haïk. His goal was to build a cinema with a capacity of over 5,000 spectators, spanning more than 21,500 square feet. While he may not have reached that seating capacity, the Grand Rex's hall certainly matches the envisioned size. Haïk's Tunisian roots are said to have inspired the cinema's Mediterranean ambience and baroque style. The building's architects were notably experts in "atmospheric halls", having created more than 400 decors of phantasmatic American cities under cloudy or starry skies. The Grand Rex's decor has earned it the title of the most beautiful cinema in the world by Time Out in February. French actor Gerard Depardieu found guilty of sexually assaulting two women 7 The Grand Rex was built in the early 1930s Credit: AFP 7 The building's facades, roof, hall and decor have also earned it the distinction of a "Monument historique" ("historical monument"), akin to a French national heritage site. The Grand Rex hall first opened its doors in December 1932. Louis Lumière, the French engineer who played a key role in cinema's development, was among the first guests to take a seat in the hall. During the German occupation of France, the Grand Rex was requisitioned by the German army and transformed into a Soldatenkino - a cinema reserved for soldiers on leave. In September 1942, it even became the target of a bombing by the Détachement Valmy. The cinema reopened in October 1944 after the Liberation of Paris. It is now visited by over one million people each year. Meanwhile, Madrid boasts a huge cinema complex that can seat almost 1,000 viewers and has 25 screens. The Spanish complex is called Kinepolis Madrid Ciudad de la Imagen, meaning Movie City. This multiplex, featuring up to 25 screening rooms, holds the title of the world's largest cinema by total capacity. Ciudad de la Imagen belongs to Kinepolis Group, a Belgian cinema chain formed in 1997. The cinema first opened its doors in 1998. 7 The multiplex has a total of 9,200 seats - making it similar in size to a small stadium
The Irish Sun
19-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Irish Sun
Inside ‘world's largest cinema' the ‘Big King' with 2,700-seater triple-decker ‘grand hall' and giant 3,000sq ft screen
THE Grand Rex, nestled in the heart of Paris, boasts the title of the world's largest cinema. Its main hall seats over 2,700 people across three tiers - all beneath a dazzling starry ceiling that towers nearly 100 feet high. 7 Le Grand Rex ('The Big King') cinema and concert venue is located in Paris' 2nd arrondissement on the grands boulevards Credit: Getty 7 Its main hall has a capacity of over 2,700 people Credit: AFP 7 It also has three tiers and a starry vaulted ceiling Credit: AFP The hall also boasts a screen known as 'Le Grand Large' ('The Great Large'), stretching over 81 feet wide and 37 feet tall - making it over 3,000 square feet. Another of the hall's stage screens, used for live performances and concerts, spans nearly 55 feet wide and 23 feet tall. The screens are powered by three projectors. The building complex has seven screening halls, one concert and show venue, a club and a museum. Read more world news The giant cinema was envisioned in the early 1930s by wealthy French film producer Jacques Haïk. His goal was to build a cinema with a capacity of over 5,000 spectators, spanning more than 21,500 square feet. While he may not have reached that seating capacity, the Grand Rex's hall certainly matches the envisioned size. Haïk's Tunisian roots are said to have inspired the cinema's Mediterranean ambience and baroque style. Most read in The US Sun The building's architects were notably experts in "atmospheric halls", having created more than 400 decors of phantasmatic American cities under cloudy or starry skies. The Grand Rex's decor has earned it the title of the most beautiful cinema in the world by Time Out in February. French actor Gerard Depardieu found guilty of sexually assaulting two women 7 The Grand Rex was built in the early 1930s Credit: AFP 7 The building's facades, roof, hall and decor have also earned it the distinction of a "Monument historique" ("historical monument"), akin to a French national heritage site. The Grand Rex hall first opened its doors in December 1932. Louis Lumière, the French engineer who played a key role in cinema's development, was among the first guests to take a seat in the hall. During the German occupation of France, the Grand Rex was requisitioned by the German army and transformed into a Soldatenkino - a cinema reserved for soldiers on leave. In September 1942, it even became the target of a bombing by the Détachement Valmy. The cinema reopened in October 1944 after the Liberation of Paris. It is now visited by over one million people each year. Meanwhile, Madrid boasts a The complex is called Kinepolis Ciudad de la Imagen, meaning Movie City . This multiplex, featuring up to 25 screening rooms, holds the title of the world's largest cinema by total capacity. Ciudad de la Imagen belongs to Kinepolis Group, a Belgian cinema chain formed in 1997. The cinema first opened its doors in 1998. 7 The multiplex has a total of 9,200 seats - making it similar in size to a small stadium 7 It has maintained the status of the biggest cinema multiplex in the world for 25 years
The Sun
19-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Sun
Inside ‘world's largest cinema' the ‘Big King' with 2,700-seater triple-decker ‘grand hall' and giant 3,000sq ft screen
THE Grand Rex, nestled in the heart of Paris, boasts the title of the world's largest cinema. Its main hall seats over 2,700 people across three tiers - all beneath a dazzling starry ceiling that towers nearly 100 feet high. 7 7 7 The hall also boasts a screen known as 'Le Grand Large' ('The Great Large'), stretching over 81 feet wide and 37 feet tall - making it over 3,000 square feet. Another of the hall's stage screens, used for live performances and concerts, spans nearly 55 feet wide and 23 feet tall. The screens are powered by three projectors. The building complex has seven screening halls, one concert and show venue, a club and a museum. The giant cinema was envisioned in the early 1930s by wealthy French film producer Jacques Haïk. His goal was to build a cinema with a capacity of over 5,000 spectators, spanning more than 21,500 square feet. While he may not have reached that seating capacity, the Grand Rex's hall certainly matches the envisioned size. Haïk's Tunisian roots are said to have inspired the cinema's Mediterranean ambience and baroque style. The building's architects were notably experts in "atmospheric halls", having created more than 400 decors of phantasmatic American cities under cloudy or starry skies. The Grand Rex's decor has earned it the title of the most beautiful cinema in the world by Time Out in February. 7 7 The building's facades, roof, hall and decor have also earned it the distinction of a "Monument historique" ("historical monument"), akin to a French national heritage site. The Grand Rex hall first opened its doors in December 1932. Louis Lumière, the French engineer who played a key role in cinema's development, was among the first guests to take a seat in the hall. During the German occupation of France, the Grand Rex was requisitioned by the German army and transformed into a Soldatenkino - a cinema reserved for soldiers on leave. In September 1942, it even became the target of a bombing by the Détachement Valmy. The cinema reopened in October 1944 after the Liberation of Paris. It is now visited by over one million people each year. Meanwhile, Madrid boasts a huge cinema complex that can seat almost 1,000 viewers and has 25 screens. The Spanish complex is called Kinepolis Madrid Ciudad de la Imagen, meaning Movie City. This multiplex, featuring up to 25 screening rooms, holds the title of the world's largest cinema by total capacity. Ciudad de la Imagen belongs to Kinepolis Group, a Belgian cinema chain formed in 1997. The cinema first opened its doors in 1998. 7
San Francisco Chronicle
30-04-2025
- Entertainment
- San Francisco Chronicle
Big screen promotion? Paris FC invites fans to a giant cinema for its decisive match
PARIS (AP) — Paris FC did not want any fans missing out on watching a match to secure promotion to the French league's top flight. So the club invited them to view Friday night's game at a famed Paris concert hall. Paris FC is in second place in Ligue 2 and playing at Martigues, where a win guarantees promotion for Paris FC and sets up a mouth-watering derby against Ligue 1 champion Paris Saint-Germain next season. But Martigues is about 800 kilometers (500 miles) away and tickets are scarce for away fans. So the club invited those not making the long trip to take a shorter one across the city to the Grand Rex, a much-loved Paris venue that also has seven cinema screens — the biggest of which holds 2,700 seats. 'Paris FC invites you to share in a unique evening,' the club posted on X on Wednesday. 'Rendez-vous at @LeGrandRex to support our players against Martigues on a giant screen. We await you (wearing) blue and white to experience this penultimate round (of the season) together." Message received. Two hours after the message, all the places were taken. Located in the vibrant Grands Boulevards district among restaurants and bars and near the iconic République square in central Paris, the Grand Rex was voted as the world's most beautiful cinema by Time Out earlier this year. The venue opened in 1932 and recently was restored with its original façade to coincide with its 90th birthday. Paris FC has big ambitions after being purchased by France's richest family, the Arnaults of luxury empire LVMH.
