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Temporary Closure of the Iconic La Géode
70MM Omnimax in Paris, France |
Read more at in70mm.com The 70mm Newsletter
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Written by: François
Carrin, France |
Date:
30.11.2018 |
in70mm.com
staff taking a closer look at the iconic Parisian cinema
La Géode
during the September 1987 "Closed on
Tuesdays" 7OMM IMAX mission to Paris.
The famous French OMNIMAX theatre La Géode (La Villette)
in Paris will be closed for rebuilding on November 30, 2018 after more than
33 years of operation. The last 7OMM IMAX show will be the 6.30 p.m.
performance of
"America’s Musical Journey". La Géode opened in May 1985 and was the
first OMNIMAX theatre in France. It ran successfully IMAX/OMNIMAX programs,
but was less and less attractive – since 2016 audience was under 300.000
patrons/year.
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Go to 1987 Gallery
A Visit to La Géode,
70MM Omnimax
At the beginning in the seventies it was the location of the new
slaughterhouse named Abattoirs de La Villette. It was never used,
however! Then President
Giscard d’Estaing decided to transform all the buildings into "La Cité des
Sciences et de l’Industrie" with a futuristic dome theatre. Some enthusiasts
thought that the French system Panrama by Philipe JAULMES would be used, but
they were disappointed! Panrama had two main defects: insufficient light and
sharpness missing. The management of the new La Géode instead opted for the new Canadian
IMAX/OMNIMAX system.
The theatre was designed by architects Adrien FAINSILBER and Gerard CHAMAYOU.
A concrete and stainless steel sphere of 36 meters in diameter. Indoor a
dome theatre with a 1,000 sq. meters hemispheric screen and 370 seats. The
projection room was equipped with an IMAX 15 perf./horizontal projector and
a Philips DP75
70/35mm projector for ads and additional shows. Professional slides
projectors were used for slides show at the beginning of each
performance. A big and impressive show synchronised with the DP75 and the
IMAX. projector.
It was inaugurated with the "L’Eau et les Hommes" (Water and
Men), the first French OMNIMAX film – This production was often
re-released with French "Hydro", a short for Electricité de France, the French
National Electricity supplier. At the time of design and contruction La Géode was the most
expensive cinema yet in France. In December 1987 ticket price was 40.00 FRF
or € 6.10. Remember that in the sixties the most expensive cinema in France
was EMPIRE-CINERAMA 12.50 FRF or € 1.90 at the mezzanine for night
performance!
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More in 70mm reading:
GALLERY: A Visit to La Géode. "Water and
Man" in 70MM IMAX Dome / Omnimax in Paris, France
Picture: 2001 IMAX Festival
Empire - Cinerama - Paris
A Picture Visit to
Kinopanorama in Paris, 1990
70mm Cinema and Film
in France
Une
Visite Chez Monsieur Cinerama
Internet link: |
My
first ticket in this theatre - Friday 11 December 1987.
In my personal opinion the most successful screenings were "Grand
Canyon", "Dream is alive" and "Everest".
Some years La Géode
organized OMNIMAX Film Festivals with various titles.
The construction of the never used slaughterhouse and La Géode were at the
origin of a financial/political dispute, due to the costs and what was
considered as "waste of
public money". At the same time management went through some
changes, and the
company shot a second version of "Water and Men" – the first version was
too bad to be screened! One of the projectionists of LA GÉODE was the well
know projectionist Bruno DJARDALI, from the former
KINOPANORAMA.
Now this theatre will be managed and programmed by Les Cinémas Pathé Gaumont and will be reopened
at the end of 2020 after main improvement and refurbishment works. The
detail of these works is secret – for the moment – Wait & see!
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WE’LL BE BACK…
SEE YOU IN 2020 FOR THE UNVEILING OF THE NEW GÉODE
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Paris, 6 November 2018
Les Cinémas Pathé Gaumont and the Cité des Sciences et de l'Industrie have
announced that La Géode will be closed beginning Friday 30 November 2018 for
renovation. When it reopens to the public in 2020, La Géode will offer a
fantastic new and original experience at the crossroads of arts and
innovation.
Inaugurated 32 years ago, the Géode is located in the Parc de La Villette
complex (Paris 19th arrondissement), on the south esplanade of the Cité des
Sciences et de l'Industrie. The theater gives audiences the unique
opportunity to watch documentary films on one of the largest hemispherical
screens in the world. On 9 January 2018, following a call for innovative
projects, Universcience (the public establishment for the Palais de la
Découverte and the Cité des Sciences et de l'Industrie) granted the
management of this iconic Parisian cinema to Les Cinémas Pathé Gaumont.
About Les Cinémas Pathé Gaumont
Les Cinémas Pathé Gaumont are leaders of exhibition theatres in France, the
Netherlands and Switzerland. They are also present in Belgium. At the end of
2017, Les Cinémas Pathé Gaumont operated 111 movie theatres, totaling 1,091
screens, 66,2 million admissions and 760 million euros in revenue. Les
Cinémas Pathé Gaumont strategy of upgrading and modernizing is based on an
active policy of creation, reconstruction, and renovation, constant
innovation with the latest technologies, new and adapted services and an
optimized viewer experience, at the cinema and online. Les Cinemas Pathé
Gaumont is owned by Pathé, one of the biggest film producers in Europe and a
major player in film distribution.
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28-07-24 |
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