Real Cinema in Madrid / Spain

 

The Real Cinema was a movie theater located in Plaza de Isabel II, close to the Teatro Real and the Royal Palace. It opened on May 15, 1920, and was inaugurated by King Alfonso XIII with the screening of the film Francia Pintoresca, El cuarto número 23, La hija del Plata and Vacaciones de Solly. With a capacity for 1000 seats and 54 boxes, it became one of the largest cinemas in Spain.

The cinema was designed by architect Teodore de Anasagasti. He was also the architect of two other Madrid cinemas: the Monumental Cinema (1923, now Teatro Monumental) and El Cisne / Chueca.

In 1923, an outdoor cinema was installed on the roof of the Real Cinema, with a capacity for 800 people.

In 1931, the Spanish Second Republic began and the cinema’s name was changed to Cine de Opera. At the start of the Spanish Civil War, a bomb caused incendiary damage to the building. The cinema re-opened in 1943.

The building was renovated between 1964 and 1965. In 1967 the cinema was remodelled to become the Cinerama for the screening of 70 mm films and the auditorium was later remodelled to accommodate 1400 seats.

In 1992, the company that owns the building hired architect Gilbert Lopez-Atalaya to renovate, so that there would be a new multiplex of four auditoriums, the largest auditorium having 400 seats and the other auditoriums totalling 670 seats.

In 2020 it was completely demolished. Today there is a hotel.

The postcard is from a postcard book, there is a perforation on the left to make it easier to tear off. You can read below the name Real Cinema "Empresa Sagarra" - the name of the cinema company. Unfortuntally, it is not possible to read the names of the advertised films.