Iconic Paris cinema restored to its Art Deco glory

It has frequently been hailed as the most beautiful cinema in the world.

A recent Time Out article cementing its place explained: “Le Grand Rex may be one of Paris’s most cherished cultural institutions, a splash of Times Square colour in the city’s austere Grands Boulevards district.”

Despite the plaudits, the article went on to point out that the Grand Rex is “not a cinema that's content to rest on its reputation,” citing the renovation of its facade and roof by architecture firm PNG to mark its 90th anniversary.

“[It] redressed the cinema in cream and – naturally – champagne tones,” noted Time Out, which also praised the return of its original 1932 Art Deco facade. 

"The Grand Rex has been owned by three generations of the Hellmann family since 1947, who have consistently faced, fought and adapted to societal changes towards cinema during their tenure, seeing many competitors close along the way.

“Looking at the facade in 2020, it felt like it had lost its initial meaning. I used the Covid period to comb through historical documents in search of what it used to be,” said Grichka Martinetti, one of the architects who worked on the restored facade.

“It felt like we were hitting two birds with one stone. The retro aspect of the renovation both aligns with the sensibilities of our times and returns the building to what it originally was,” added Mr Martinetti. 

For Alexandre Hellmann, the Grand Rex’s director and grandson of Jean Hellmann, who bought the cinema, it was “a project I could not refuse”.

Back to the future

PNG’s extensive work uncovered the building’s original 1932 shade, which had been buried by countless renovations and layer upon layer of paint. It also made the ‘Rex’ sign on the tower rotate once more.

Its new lighting system, by studio Vicarini, has been similarly admired, and was unanimously awarded the Premier prix of the Concours Lumières last June.

“It puts the spotlight on architecture that has long been disfigured by commercial chains,” said Serce, the organisation awarding the prize, adding that members of the jury particularly liked the research that went into the project.

For his part, Alexandre Hellman wants the upgraded building to be so ‘Instagrammable’ that the Grand Rex becomes one of the most visited places in Paris after the Eiffel Tower and the Louvre.

The Grand Rex is no stranger to experimentation and the immersive experience. 

In 1932, Jacques Haik, a French producer of Tunisian origin, commissioned architects Auguste Bluysen and American John Eberson, the mastermind behind the Majestic Theatre in Houston, Texas, to build something to rival America’s burgeoning movie palaces. 

Haik looked to the Mediterranean for inspiration, envisioning a three-story high ‘Italian garden’ with a vaulted ceiling that would make cinema-goers feel like they were under the night sky.

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It is a scale version of New York’s Radio City Hall Music, which opened in December 1932, and, with its geometric lines, stylised floral motifs and luxurious materials, epitomised the elegance of the Art Deco movement. 

“The conception of the Grand Rex is almost wholly American,” wrote Antony Goissaud in a feature describing it, room by room, in architecture weekly magazine La Construction Moderne on January 15, 1933.

In the next two decades, it was requisitioned by the Germans in wartime and bought by Jean Hellmann from a financially-crippled Haik, after a brief period of ownership by Gaumont.

The year 1953 saw the introduction of Cinemascope technology for the first time in France, which allowed panoramic viewing on 35mm tape.

1957 saw the installation of the Grand Rex’s escalators, which were inaugurated by US actor Gary Cooper and French actress Mylène Demongot.

The 1970s and 80s heralded the first renovation of the cinema’s facade by architect Artemisios Wang. The modernisation included neon lighting, as well as the addition of six new movie theatres. 

2,800 seats

The Grand Rex was home to the biggest screen in all of France for nearly 20 years, the 260m² Grand Large. It was inaugurated in 1988 in partnership with Luc Besson’s Grand Bleu. It was only recently beaten in France by the 4K Kinémax at Futuroscope in 2016.

With a seating capacity of up to 2,800 spectators, and an extensive programme, the Grand Rex still offers an iconic cinematic experience.

The Hellmanns keenly understood, however, that movies alone would not guarantee their survival. Over the years they have diversified their source of income with concerts, a night club and by hosting private events.

Today, ticket sales in France are not what they used to be. A study by polling institute Ipsos, in partnership with the Ceci engineering school, released last February, found 54% of French people go to the cinema three times a year, while 18% never go.

And there is tough local competition from the likes of Max Linder Panorama, Le Brady, the Eden Plus and UGC Les Halles.

Many Paris cinemas have been unable to survive. Three of the Champs Elysées’ most prestigious venues – Marignan, George V and UGC Normandy – have closed in the past four years, as the avenue has been filled with luxury brands.

Mr Hellmann has spotted another opportunity here, however, hoping his new facade will help the Grand Rex secure a partnership with some of these brands.

“They are already attending the Grand Rex via private events. I aim to convince one to shoot a perfume ad on our roof to show that the Grand Rex is a luxury building with accessible ticketing,” he said.

Three of them – Bottega Veneta, Gucci and Paco Rabanne – helped fund the renovation effort by paying for billboard presence on the facade while works were under way, Mr Hellmann added. Time Out’s recent number one ranking is an echo of the sort of praise elicited when the Grand Rex was first opened 90 years ago.

Back then, Goissaud’s article in La Construction Moderne continued: “Journalists, quite naturally, write that it was the best cinema they had ever seen, unlike any other in France, that it was colossal. Ah! These journalists, what brainwashers they make. The most striking thing here – for once – is that they did not make a fuss about nothing."

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For Alexandre Hellmann it is important to keep the momentum going. 

“My goal is to keep what both [my father and grandfather] accomplished: turning it into one of France’s iconic buildings. I want it to be exceptional," he said.

For Mr Martinetti, the renovation holds a special place in his heart.

“I attended the 90th anniversary inauguration a week after my father had passed away,” he said. 

“The first text my father ever wrote at school was about the Grand Rex. I have come to understand that every Parisian shares a personal story with it. This is mine.”