Pathé Palace
Paris, France
Boxoffice Blue Ribbon 2024 | Renovation
Few cinemas have the history of the Pathé Palace. Housed in a structure originally built between 1866 and 1868 under Napoleon III as the site of a 1,800-seat Vaudeville theater, the space welcomed its first cinema in 1924. That was the year it became La Paramount, which transformed the space into one of the original movie palaces, thanks to a beautiful design by Auguste Bluysen and Francis Thomas Verity. The single-screen venue had a capacity of 1,920 seats and featured a distinctive Art Deco bar, before a series of renovations between 1950 and 1982 converted it into a 7-screen complex.
Pathé purchased the site in 2008 and completely renovated it under the direction of Christian Lacroix, reopening it as Gaumont Opéra Capucines. It closed its doors for its latest renovation in 2019, culminating in a July 2024 reopening as the Pathé Palace. Architect Renzo Piano combined historical elegance with technological innovation, turning the site into a state-of-the-art 7-screen cinema that also hosts Pathé’s corporate office.
The cinema’s iconic rotunda was carefully renovated and enhanced with subtle lighting elements. The new façade opens the building onto the city and invites the visitor to enter the large glass hall to discover La Piazza, an indoor square, a space for strolling and meeting at the heart of the project. La Piazza is composed of a glass atrium with a floor space that contains a hornbeam garden bathing the hall and the cinema’s footpaths in light. A Pathé café is available to the public on the ground floor, regardless of a ticket purchase.
The Pathé Palace is one of the most technologically advanced cinemas in the world, featuring Dolby Atmos immersive sound across all seven auditoriums. Auditorium 1 is the first auditorium in Europe equipped with Dolby Vision + Atmos and also features analog capabilities with a 35/70mm projector. The rest of the auditoriums are equipped with 5 to 10-meter-wide Samsung Onyx LED screens and Dolby Atmos sound.
The Pathé Palace features two concession stands with traditional movie snacks and a bar decorated by Jacques Grange on the first floor. Open to the public in the evenings on weekdays and starting at lunchtime on weekends, the bar has 50 seats and two small terraces, offering a breathtaking view of the Boulevard des Capucines. The first floor also features a Wine Wall with an eclectic selection of 24 varieties curated by the sommelier teams from the Taillevent restaurant, available to taste by the glass via self-service.
KEY FEATURES
- 7 Auditoriums
- 854 Seats + 28 PRM Spaces
- Dolby Vision + Atmos (Screen 1)
- Samsung Onyx LED Screens
- Full Dolby Atmos Cinema
- Heated Recliner Seating
- Bar, Café & Wine Wall
- In-Seat Service
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