More than 50 years after it closed, a classic 1920s ‘movie palace’ will come back to life in Antwerp, Belgium with the reopening of the former Roxy Palace cinema next April in the Antwerp province town of Rumst.
The theater opened in 1929 but shut down in the late 1970s due to the declining audiences. Part of the building was converted into a discotheque in the 1980s, but that also failed. The building has hardly been used since 1993. It will operate under an agreement between the city and the building’s owners.
The façade, bar and foyer have been refurbished, while “All other original aspects look like they used to,” a Rumst councillor told Flemish radio. “You will sit on wooden chairs with a cushion and, just like in the old days, ice pralines will be sold during the break.”
Plans are for the theater to show two films every month from April on, mainly show film classics, which will range from Casablanca to more recent films like Parasite. Because the hall is almost a century old and not insulated, winter showings aren’t planned until the owner completes work on that.
