It was often celebrated as the most beautiful cinema in the world.
A current Time -out Article that determines its place said: “Le Grand Rex may be one of the most valued cultural institutions in Paris, a splash of Times Square Color in the strict Grand Boulevards district of the city.”
Despite the praise, the article points out that the Grand Rex is “not a cinema that is resting on its reputation” and referred to the renovation of its facade and roof of the architectural company PNG to celebrate its 90th anniversary.
“[It] Has the cinema in cream and – of course – champagne tones “implemented”, noted Time -outwhich also praised the return of its original Art -Deco facade from 1932.
“Since 1947, the Grand Rex has been part of three generations of the Hellmann family, who consistently confronted, fought, fought and adapted to social changes towards the cinema during their term.
“Looking at the facade in 2020, it felt like it had lost its original meaning. I used the Covid time to search historical documents to search for what it used to be,” said Grichka Martinetti, one of the architects who worked on the restored facade.
“It felt like we were hit by two birds with a stone. The retro aspect of the renovation is both aligned with the sensitivity of our time and returns the building to what it was originally,” added Martinetti.
For Alexandre Hellmann, the director and grandson of Jean Hellmann, who bought the cinema, it was “a project that I could not reject”.
Back to the future
The extensive work of PNG discovered the original color of the building of 1932, which had been buried by countless renovations and layer on layer of the color. The “Rex” sign on the tower also let it turn.
Studio Vicarini's new lighting system was admired in a similar way and was awarded the leading Prix of the Lumières Concours last June last June.
“It puts the architecture that has long been distorted by commercial chains in the spotlight,” said Serce, the organization that awarded the award and added that members of the jury particularly liked the research that flow into the project.
For his part, Alexandre Hellman wants the improved building to be so “instagram navel” that the Grand Rex becomes one of the most visited places in Paris after the Eiffel Tower and the Louvre.
The Grand Rex is not a stranger to experiments and the immersive experience.
In 1932, Jacques Haik, a French producer of Tunesian Origin, commissioned the architect Auguste Bluysen and the American John Eberson, the mastermind behind the majestic theater in Houston, Texas, to compete with something to compete in order to compete in order to compete in order to compete.
Haik searched for inspiration in the Mediterranean and imagined a three -story high 'Italian garden' with a vaulted ceiling with which the cinemas feel like they are under the night sky.
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It is a scale version of New York Radio Rathaus music, which was opened in December 1932, and with its geometric lines, stylized flower motifs and luxurious materials, embodied the elegance of the Art -Deco movement.
“The conception of the Grand Rex is almost very American” Modern construction on January 15, 1933.
In the next two decades it was requested by the Germans in times of war and bought by Jean Hellmann after a short ownership period of Gaumont by a financially written haik.
In 1953 the Cinemascope technology was first introduced in France, which enabled the panoramic view of 35 -mm adhesive tape.
In 1957 the escalators of the Grand Rex were installed, which were inaugurated by the US actor Gary Cooper and the French actress Mylène Demongot.
The 1970s and 80s announced the first renovation of the facade of the cinema by architect Artemisios Wang. The modernization included neon lighting and the addition of six new film cinemas.
2,800 seats
The Grand Rex has been home to the largest screen in France for almost 20 years, the 260 m² large area. It was opened in 1988 in cooperation with Luc Bessons Grand Bleu. It was recently beaten in France by the 4K Kinémax near Futuroscope in 2016.
With a seat capacity of up to 2,800 spectators and an extensive program, the Grand Rex still offers an iconic cinematic experience.
However, the Hellmanns very much understood that films alone would not guarantee their survival. Over the years, you have diversified your source of income with concerts, a night club and by organizing private events.
Today, the ticket sales in France were not what they used to be. A study by Polling Institute Ipsos in cooperation with the Ceci Engineering School, which was published last February, showed that 54% of the French went to the cinema three times a year, while 18% never went.
And there is hard local competition from Max Linder Panorama, Le Brady, The Eden Plus and UGC Les Halles.
Many Parisian cinemas could not survive. Three of the most prestigious event locations of the Champs Elysées – Marignan, George V and UGC Normandy – have closed in the past four years because the Avenue was filled with luxury brands.
However, Mr. Hellmann has discovered another opportunity here in the hope that his new facade will help the Grand Rex to secure a partnership with some of these brands.
“You are already taking part in the Grand Rex through private events. I would like to convince one of them to shoot a perfume ad on our roof to show that the Grand Rex is a luxury building with accessible ticketing,” he said.
Three of them – Bottega Veneta, Gucci and Paco Rabanne – helped finance the renovation efforts by paying for the presence of advertising boards on the facade while the work was in progress, Hellmann added. Time -out The latest ranking number one is an echo of the kind of praise that was triggered when the Grand Rex was opened for the first time 90 years ago.
Back then Goissaud's article in Modern construction Continued: “Journalists, quite natural, write that it was the best cinema they had ever seen, unlike others in France that it was colossal.
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It is important for Alexandre Hellmann to keep the momentum going.
“My goal is to keep both of them [my father and grandfather] Fulfilled: transform it into one of the iconic buildings of France. I want it to be extraordinary, “he said.
For Mr. Martinetti, the renovation has a special place in his heart.
“I took part in the inauguration of the 90th anniversary a week after my father's death,” he said.
“The first text that my father ever wrote at school went over the Grand Rex. I understood that every Parisian shares a personal story with her. That belongs to me.”