The Cine Proyecciones (Cinema Projections) is close to Madrid's city center in the Chamberi district at Metro stop Bilboa. The cinema opened in 1932 with an Expressionist exterior, designed by architect Rafael de La-Hoz. For awhile the theater was renamed Cinerama, as one of Madrid's Cinerama theaters.
When I saw "Death and the Maiden" dubbed into Spanish as is the national custom, on March 20, 1995, the Cine Proyecciones was still a single screen theater with 1,087 seats. I estimated the screen as 35 feet wide, but it would have been wider for a scope film. No curtain was used before the screen, nor was a curtain used when on October 25, 1998, I saw the Spanish romantic comedy "Nada En La Nevera" (Nothing in the Refrigator).
On March 19, 1999, while watching "Shakespeare in Love" 700 audience members heard a noise- the falling down of 15 square meters of a false ceiling. Seeing what looked like smoke, the frightened audience fled into the street. A few weeks prior, it was announced that the cinema was going to be remodeled.
In 1995, the Jimeno family, which built the cinema, sold it to Spanish movie exhibitor chain Cinesa. The exhibitor requested permission to remodel and add screens. City Council approved renovations, which included a restoration of the Expressionist exterior. After a 3 year renovation that cost 10.8 million euros, on March 26, 2004, the Cine Proyecciones reopened to the public. The renovated cinema reopened with 8 screens, 1,800 Cinesa Comfort System seats, digital sound, and taking up 6302 square meters. The official opening had been April 2, 2003. In 2007, it was announced that Realia sold the theater for 19.75 million euros.
The seating capacity in 2007 is Auditorium 1: 332 seats; 2: 131, 3: 417, 4: 134, 5: 405, 6:132, 7: 151, 8: 128 for a total of 1830 seats.
Related WebsitesCinesa (Official) Contributed by Howard B Haas
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http://www.flickr.com/photos/alejandrofgd/359333985/
Other exterior photos are found in this article:
http://www.madridiario.es/2007/Julio/madrid/madrid/29354/realia-vende-cine-proyecciones-amper-40-millones.html