Palace Cinema

The Palace originally was a single-screen cinema which got equipped with the original genuine Cinemascope (2.55 aspect ratio) and 4-track magnetic sound in the 1950’s.

Much later it became the property of the Defawe brothers who split it into a 6-screen multiplex in the mid-1970’s. It was very poor. Small screens and mono sound only. The largest auditorium had 628 seats. A bit later the largest auditorium got equipped with the Rank optical stereo sound system.

In the 1980’s it was sold to the Groep Clayes which added 3 screens in unused premises, enlarged all screens by removing the screens' masking and curtains. Dolby Stereo was installed in all theaters. In 1989, The largest theater and one of the 2 mid-size ones were equipped with 70mm and THX Sound System. In order to create a new projection booth at the back of the bigger auditorium (instead of keystone) for their new 70mm screen, the seating capacity was reduced to 589. In the 1990’s, the Palace was progressively equipped in Dolby Digital then DTS. Only 4 films were shown there on first-run regular engagements in 70mm: Batman, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, The Abyss and Die Hard 2. Special re-runs briefly took place: Lawrence of Arabia, Spartacus, The Bear and Cobra.

At the beginning of the new millenium, it was renovated but without architectural changes to the auditoriums themselves. The 70mm projector of the bigger theater was replaced with a digital projector with XDC Digital Cinema server, but it was temporary. A normal 35mm projector is now in service. 4 theaters out of 9 were closed. In the 5 remaining ones, seating capacity was reduced by replacing the old seats with new larger ones, and increasing the row depth.