Fuse Line Cinema North Building

The Lionza (or the Lion Theater) opened its doors in August 1952 as the first theater to open in the North part of the Fuse Line building. On February 1, 1967, Fuse City merged with Kawachi City and Hiraoka City merged into Higashiosaka City, and in the late-1970s, it was twinned at the same time as the two other theaters in the South building. At the time, the Lioza is a Toei-affiliated theater.

During the 1990s, a third screen was added. However, following Warner Mycal Cinemas opening their Higashi Kishiwada location on April 29, 1993, its operator Okajima Kogyo received the unthinkable by converting the Lionza into a multiplex. As a result, it was renovated and four more screens were added, becoming the Fuse Line Cinema on December 13, 1997, featuring seven screens and 1,145 seats.

On September 14, 2019, it was announced that the theater will close the following year because of the rise of streaming services causing declining audiences. The Fuse Line Cinema closed for the final time on February 29, 2020. It was demolished right after closure, and the 14-story apartment building called “Highline III” was built on the site in January 2023.

Screens 1 and 7 housed 202 seats featuring SRD-EX, DTS, and SDDS sound, while Screens 2 and 4 housed 183 seats featuring SRD and DTS sound, Screens 3 and 5 housing 132 seats featuring SRD and DTS sound, and Screen 6 housing 111 seats with SRD sound only.

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