Le Grand Rex is a Parisian cinema and

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Location and access

It is located at , boulevard Poissonnière in the 2nd arrondissement, on the

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. Its facades and roofs, as well as its hall and its decor have been listed as a '' Monument historique'' since a decree on October 5, 1981. This giant cinema has a capacity of more than 2700 people in its great hall and posts an average attendance levels of 1 million visitors per year. Le Grand Rex is served by the Metro lines 8 and 9 at the ''Bonne-Nouvelle'' station, as well as by the

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lines 20, 32 and 39.

History

In the early 1930s,

Jacques Haïk Jacques Haïk (20 June 1893 – 31 August 1950) was a French film producer. Born of Jewish descent in French-controlled Tunisia, he moved to Paris where he found work in the film industry, introducing Charlie Chaplin to French audiences. He gradu ...

, 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 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. The cinema is also known for its interior decor. Specialized in "atmospheric halls", its architects built more than 400 decors of phantasmatic cities under cloudy, clear or starry skies in the United States. Here, the great hall has been decorated by an "ancient Mediterranean" city in relief, located in the open air with its colorful walls reproducing the

Art deco Art Deco, short for the French ''Arts Décoratifs'', and sometimes just called Deco, is a style of visual arts, architecture, and product design, that first appeared in France in the 1910s (just before World War I), and flourished in the Unite ...

atmosphere of the "French Riviera" villas. All of the architect's desires were fulfilled, except for the number of seats, which originally had to be reduced to . The Grand Rex hall opens its doors on the evening of December 8, 1932, in the presence of the cinema's pioneer, Louis Lumière and guests. ''

The Three Musketeers ''The Three Musketeers'' (french: Les Trois Mousquetaires, links=no, ) is a French historical adventure novel written in 1844 by French author Alexandre Dumas. It is in the swashbuckler genre, which has heroic, chivalrous swordsmen who fight ...

'' by Henri Diamant-Berger is on the bill. It is one the biggest halls in Paris. The projection booth is located in the corbel of the rue Poissonnière. The angle lantern is actually a simple metal trellis on which was projected cement mortar. The producer and director Émile Couzinet opens a small ''Rex'' in Bordeaux (800 seats), designed by the same architects, which stays open until the 1970s. Despite the success of the Grand Rex, Jacques Haïk files for bankruptcy and sells it to Gaumont, before Jean Hellmann, Alan Byre and Laudy Lawrence buy it themselves.

From the 1940s to the 1980s

During the

Occupation Occupation commonly refers to: *Occupation (human activity), or job, one's role in society, often a regular activity performed for payment *Occupation (protest), political demonstration by holding public or symbolic spaces *Military occupation, th ...

, the Grand Rex is requisitioned by the German army, which turns it into « Soldatenkino », saving it for its troops of soldiers on leave. In September 1942 it is the target of a bombing by the Détachement Valmy. The cinema reopens on October 13, 1944, after the Liberation of Paris. It shows an American film, while chewing-gums are available during the intermission. From April 12 to June 22, 1945, it temporarily closes, turned into a welcome center for the repatriate war prisoners. In 1946, ''

Pinocchio Pinocchio ( , ) is a fictional character and the protagonist of the children's novel '' The Adventures of Pinocchio'' (1883) by Italian writer Carlo Collodi of Florence, Tuscany. Pinocchio was carved by a woodcarver named Geppetto in a Tuscan ...

'' is the first

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feature film to be shown there. At that time, the program of Grand Rex is divided in two parts, with an intermission in between: a first one with a musical opening and the

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, a second one with attractions (waterfalls, erupting volcanos…) and then the proper film. Dancers, musicians, machinery and ushers are therefore necessary for the smooth running of the show. Starting on December 4, 1953, the first feature film in CinemaScope, ''

The Robe ''The Robe'' is a 1942 historical novel about the Crucifixion of Jesus, written by Lloyd C. Douglas. The book was one of the best-selling titles of the 1940s. It entered the ''New York Times'' Best Seller list in October 1942, four weeks later ...

'', directed by

Henry Koster Henry Koster (born Hermann Kosterlitz, May 1, 1905 – September 21, 1988) was a German-born film director. He was the husband of actress Peggy Moran. Early life Koster was born to Jewish parents in Berlin, Germany. He was introduced to ci ...

, is projected there in tandem with the cinema located on the Champs-Elysées. In 1950 already, during the screening of ''

Gone with the Wind Gone with the Wind most often refers to: * ''Gone with the Wind'' (novel), a 1936 novel by Margaret Mitchell * ''Gone with the Wind'' (film), the 1939 adaptation of the novel Gone with the Wind may also refer to: Music * ''Gone with the Wind'' ...

'', the projectionist had enlarged the image during fire scenes. After the failure of the "Le Miroir de Neptune" (The Neptune Mirror) attraction in 1953 (swimmers performing in a transparent pool placed on the stage), the "Féerie des eaux" (Magic waters) attraction is created in March 1954, during which liters are projected twenty meters high with lighting effects and a musical accompaniment. It is a success: water shows have enlivened the great hall every year at Christmas since 1954, the "Féerie des eaux" (Magic waters), shortly before the screening of the end of the year

film. In 1957, the

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of the Grand Rex is inaugurated by

Gary Cooper Gary Cooper (born Frank James Cooper; May 7, 1901May 13, 1961) was an American actor known for his strong, quiet screen persona and understated acting style. He won the Academy Award for Best Actor twice and had a further three nominations, ...

and Mylène Demongeot, superseding elevators. It is the first time a European hall is equipped with such material. In 1960, the cinema experiences a better attendance level than the

Louvre The Louvre ( ), or the Louvre Museum ( ), is the world's most-visited museum, and an historic landmark in Paris, France. It is the home of some of the best-known works of art, including the ''Mona Lisa'' and the ''Venus de Milo''. A central l ...

Museum. Eight years later, the combination of the "Féerie des eaux" (Magic waters) and of '' The Jungle Book'' enables the Grand Rex to receive around 500 000 spectators. In 1963, Alfred Hitchcock presents its new movie, '' The Birds'' there. In 1974, three small halls are added to the complex, at the location of the dressing and rehearsal rooms. The Rex Club, a disco club, replaces the "Rêve" dancing, a chic establishment which was created in 1932.

Since the 1980s

In 1984, the Grand Rex includes seven halls, then eight in 1990, but without having needed to divide the great hall, going against a trend noticeable in other cinemas. The Grand Rex and its Art deco facade are listed in the inventory of the Monument Historique in 1981. In 1988 "Le Grand Large" (The Great Large) is installed, a 300 square meters screen, making it the biggest in Europe (excluding IMAX). Designed and created by Luc Heripret, it is inaugurated by

Luc Besson Luc Paul Maurice Besson (; born 18 March 1959) is a French film director, screenwriter and producer. He directed or produced the films ''Subway'' (1985), '' The Big Blue'' (1988), and '' La Femme Nikita'' (1990). Besson is associated with the ' ...

’s ''

The Big Blue ''The Big Blue'' (released in some countries under the French title ''Le Grand Bleu'') is a 1988 film in the French ''Cinéma du look'' visual style, made by French director Luc Besson. It is a heavily fictionalized and dramatized story of th ...

'', which totals tickets sold at the Grand Rex after months on the bill. In 1997, the Grand Rex opens its program to festivals, concerts and solo performances of many artists who perform on stage. In 1988, the director Peter Jackson receives an award for his film ''

Bad Taste ''Bad Taste'' is a 1987 New Zealand science-fiction comedy horror film directed, produced and filmed by Peter Jackson, who also stars in and co-wrote the screenplay, along with Tony Hiles and Ken Hammon. Independently produced on a low budge ...

'' there, and, in 2002, the singer Britney Spears was present for the screening of '' Crossroads'' causing a riot during which some outside windows were shattered. In 2009, the facade was equipped with digital signs, whose light showcases its Art deco column. In 2017, the great hall was renovated. While its contemporary attendance levels are usually close to a million spectators, the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identi ...

forced the Grand Rex to close in August 2020, after attempting at the end of the first lockdown in June, to screen retrospectives and thematic marathons. Starting from December of the same year, the cinema is being fully renovated. The Grand Rex now has a capacity ranging from to spectators in its great hall. It is renowned for hosting premieres with the films’ crews as well as special events, called “Marathons”, which gathers the fans of a franchise ('' Star Wars'', ''

Marvel Cinematic Universe The Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) is an American media franchise and shared universe centered on a series of superhero films produced by Marvel Studios. The films are based on characters that appear in American comic books published by ...

'', the adaptations of ''Tolkien''’s work or else ''

The Hunger Games ''The Hunger Games'' is a series of young adult dystopian novels written by American author Suzanne Collins. The first three novels are part of a trilogy following teenage protagonist Katniss Everdeen, and the fourth book is a prequel set 6 ...

'' for example).

Technical specifications sheet

* Equipment: 7 halls of , 500, 262, 210, 155, 125 and 100 seats; screening in 35 mm and digital – stereophonic sound in Dolby/

Digital Theater Systems DTS, Inc. (originally Digital Theater Systems) is an American company that makes multichannel audio technologies for film and video. Based in Calabasas, California, the company introduced its DTS technology in 1993 as a competitor to Dolby Labor ...

* Owner: Marianne Hellmann * Operator: SAS Le Grand Rex Paris

The Great Hall

* seats, * Large and comfortable leather chairs for the orchestra, * A mezzanine equipped with the same chairs as the orchestra, * A 2nd balcony with seats, * A luminous arch, * A large adjustable stage (shows and concerts), * A stage screen which is 16.9 meters large and 7 meters high, located on the stage (under the luminous arch), * Three DP 32 4K projectors, * A screen named “Le Grand Large” (The Great Large), which is 24.9 meters large and 11.35 meters high (about 280 m²). It is uncoiled and coiled in front of the luminous arch. File:Public Grande Salle.jpg File:Rex - Grande Salle.jpg File:Le Rex - Grande Salle By Nicolas Thomas.jpg, File:Facade Rex.jpg

Le Grand Large (The Great Large)

This screen, one of the biggest in France and which takes up the entire available width of the hall, is hidden in the cinema’s ceiling and only comes out for screenings. While it is uncoiled in the dark, the spectators can discover an original presentation in 2D or 3D. The audience is only seated on the 2nd balcony and ends up particularly close to the screen. Projection: 2 Barco DP32 projectors in 4k.

The Rex’s other halls

Since 2017, the Grand Rex has renovated its halls every year. We can find: * Hall 2: 500 seats * Hall 3: 238 seats called the “Gotham” hall * Hall 5: 163 seats called the “Matrix” hall * Hall 4: 122 seats * Hall 7: 109 seats called the “Tron” hall * Hall 6: 78 seats called the “Love” hall File:Salle 2 Rex.jpg, Hall 2 - Photographer: Thomas Laconis File:Salle 3.jpg, ''ditto''. File:Salle 4 Rex.jpg, ''ditto''. File:Salle 5.jpg, ''ditto''. File:Salle 6.jpg, ''ditto''. File:Salle 7.jpg, ''ditto''.

Rex Studios

A 50-minute course is available behind the big screen, backstage and in the technical spaces of the cinema. Initiated by Francois Confino and Philippe Hellmann, it is designed and created by Luc Heripret, in collaboration with the set designer Pascal Mazoyer. The course presents the history of the Grand Rex before diving into the world of the cinema's occupations and special effects in an interactive and playful way: pedestrian and filmed course. The visitor gradually becomes the extra of a shooting before being projected in a film extract, whose recording they will be able to buy.

Escape Game

In 2021, the Grand Rex offers its clients a new attraction which immerses the spectators in riddles to help save the greatest cinema classics. This escape game which progresses through different rooms representing the main themes of the 7th art forces the clients to focus to collect a maximum of points. It is designed and created by Luc Heripret and Team Break within the Rex Studios.

La Féerie des eaux (Magic waters)

Each year, the Christmas

cartoon is traditionally screened in the Grand Rex great hall (screen under the arc). The screening starts two weeks before the French national release. As the opening act, the audience can attend a sound, light and water show called the ''Féerie des eaux'' (Magic waters). A huge pool and colored water jets are placed on the stage for this.