The Coliseum Theatre is a

cinema Cinema may refer to: Film * Film or movie, a series of still images that create the illusion of moving image ** Film industry, the technological and commercial institutions of filmmaking ** Filmmaking, the process of making a film * Movie theate ...

Kuala Lumpur Kuala Lumpur (KL), officially the Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur, is the capital city and a Federal Territories of Malaysia, federal territory of Malaysia. It is the largest city in the country, covering an area of with a census population ...

Malaysia Malaysia is a country in Southeast Asia. Featuring the Tanjung Piai, southernmost point of continental Eurasia, it is a federation, federal constitutional monarchy consisting of States and federal territories of Malaysia, 13 states and thre ...

. One of the oldest cinemas in the country, it was built in 1920 by the Chua family led by Chua Cheng Bok.

History

The

Art Deco Art Deco, short for the French (), is a style of visual arts, architecture, and product design that first Art Deco in Paris, appeared in Paris in the 1910s just before World War I and flourished in the United States and Europe during the 1920 ...

-style building is capable of seating 900 people and also features a balcony. The famed Coliseum Café and Hotel—a favourite haunt of

William Somerset Maugham William Somerset Maugham ( ; 25 January 1874 – 16 December 1965) was an English writer, known for his plays, novels and short stories. Born in Paris, where he spent his first ten years, Maugham was schooled in England and went to a German un ...

during his stay in

British Malaya The term "British Malaya" (; ) loosely describes a set of states on the Malay Peninsula and the island of Singapore that were brought under British Empire, British hegemony or control between the late 18th and the mid-20th century. Unlike the ...

—are located behind the theatre, just down the road. The café closed in 2021 after 100 years in business, due to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

. The oldest and continuously running cinema hall in the country (save for a break during the Japanese occupation during World War II), most of the movies premiering in the building are

Indian movies Indian or Indians may refer to: Associated with India * of or related to India ** Indian people ** Indian diaspora ** Languages of India ** Indian English, a dialect of the English language ** Indian cuisine Associated with indigenous peoples o ...

. After Chua Cheng Bok's demise in 1940, his estate continued to administer the Coliseum until its acquisition in 1973 by a company bought by his nephew Dr Chua Boon Teck and his wife Mdm Khor Joo Saik. In 2006, the Malaysian government proposed to close the theatre and turn it into a

cultural heritage Cultural heritage is the heritage of tangible and intangible heritage assets of a group or society that is inherited from past generations. Not all heritages of past generations are "heritage"; rather, heritage is a product of selection by socie ...

centre, but relented when there was a public outcry to the scheme. The government later decided not to close the cinema. Instead, they planned to build a car park nearby. In that year, Dr Chua Seong Siew, elder son of the late owners Dr Chua Boon Teck and Mdm Khor Joo Saik, successfully appealed for the cinema theatre to remain open, and so it continues to operate to this day. In 2012, the cinema was owned by Lotus Five Star Cinema (M) Sdn. Bhd. and was transformed into a 2-screen Cineplex which consist of a total 474 seats. The Coliseum Theatre was rebranded as LFS Coliseum Cineplex and was officially opened to the public in November 2012. It has a thriving business showing mostly Bollywood and Tamil/Hindi movies.Lotus Five Star Coliseum Cineplex
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Transportation

The theatre is accessible within walking distance south east of

Bandaraya LRT Station Bandaraya LRT station is an elevated rapid transit station in central Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The station is on the common route shared by the Ampang Line and Sri Petaling Line (originally known as STAR Line). The station opened on 16 Decemb ...

and Bank Negara KTM station.

References

External links

* Th
Coliseum Theatre
at Cinema Treasures. {{Malaysian historical architectures and sites Theatres completed in 1920 Cinemas in Malaysia Buildings and structures in Kuala Lumpur Art Deco architecture in Malaysia Tourist attractions in Kuala Lumpur British colonial architecture in Malaysia Buildings and structures completed in 1920