Cineorama

Located near the Eiffel Tower. The Cineorama was part of the 1900 Universal Exposition held in Paris. It was one of the first immersive 360 degrees panoramic film projection systems in the history of cinema. The inventor was Raul Grimoin-Sanson (1860-1940) and it also was named Cinecosmorama. It inspired author H.G. Wells to create “a travel though time and space”, and it was a step into the direction to create a virtual reality. The Cineorama process was patented on 27th November 1897.

The auditorium was in a circular shape with 10 screen panels. Each panel measured 9x9 meters. The total screen size was 90x9 meters. In the centre of the auditorium was a circular projection room which housed 10 synchronized projectors for 70mm film. The 10 projectors screened 10 film strips and created one gigantic 360 degrees panoramic motion picture.

The cinema had no seats. The audience were standing and could move around. On top of the projection room was a basket of a hot air balloon for the audience to view in. The subject of the movie was a flight in a hot air balloon over the Paris Tuileries Gardens. In the middle of the show the projectors screened the movie backwards to simulate the landing of the balloon.

The Cineorama had a short life, opening in July 1900….After 4 days in operation it was closed by the officials because they were afraid the the enormous heat of the 10 projector lamps could start a fire.

Get Movie Tickets & Showtimes

Want to be emailed when a new comment is posted about this theater?
Just login to your account and subscribe to this theater.