Cinerama Filmtheater

Cinerama Filmtheater is a cinema venue in central Rotterdam, the Netherlands, operating under the Cinerama name and owned by Kinepolis Group. The cinema opened in July 1960 on the site of the former Scala cinema, which had become insolvent after operating for only three years. Its name was taken from the Cinerama projection system, a widescreen film presentation format associated with large-scale panoramic theatrical exhibition. The opening programme began with This Is Cinerama, the 1952 film that originally demonstrated the Cinerama process. The venue was rebuilt in the 1980s and developed into a multi-screen cinema rather than remaining a single-auditorium presentation house. Its current configuration contains seven screens with capacities of 291, 123, 123, 88, 145, 145 and 67 seats respectively, for a combined capacity of 982 seats. This gives Cinerama a relatively varied operating profile: the larger auditorium can support broader commercial releases and event screenings, while the smaller rooms are suited to specialist films, repertory programming and festival activity. Cinerama’s programme covers both mainstream and arthouse cinema. In addition to regular theatrical releases, the venue hosts screenings connected with film festivals and cultural events, including Arab Cinema, the International Film Festival Rotterdam and the Wildlife Film Festival. These activities give the cinema a role beyond conventional commercial exhibition, linking it to Rotterdam’s broader film culture and to international and documentary-oriented programming. The venue’s identity therefore rests on a combination of historic cinema branding, central-city accessibility, multiple auditoriums and programming breadth. It preserves the Cinerama name while functioning as a contemporary seven-screen cinema. Its ownership by Kinepolis Group places it within a larger European cinema exhibition network, although Cinerama remains identified with Rotterdam as a local film venue. Publicly available reference material does not establish a separate corporate structure, founder, listing, or executive roster for the individual cinema.

Cinerama Filmtheater opened in July 1960 in central Rotterdam on the site previously occupied by the Scala cinema. Scala had closed after going bankrupt after only three years, leaving the location available for a new cinema venture. The replacement venue was named after the Cinerama projection system, a panoramic film format that had become associated with technically ambitious widescreen presentations. Its first screening was This Is Cinerama, released in 1952 as a showcase for that presentation system. The cinema later underwent rebuilding in the 1980s. The reconstruction changed the venue into the multi-screen operation associated with the current Cinerama identity. The present site has seven screens with capacities of 291, 123, 123, 88, 145, 145 and 67 seats. The arrangement supports different types of programming, from larger commercial releases to smaller-scale specialist screenings. Cinerama has historically and currently combined mainstream film exhibition with arthouse programming. Its role in Rotterdam’s cinema culture is also reflected in its use for festival screenings. Reference material identifies Arab Cinema, the International Film Festival Rotterdam and the Wildlife Film Festival among the festival-related programmes presented at the venue. These screenings broaden the cinema’s function from routine film release exhibition to a location for international, cultural and specialist film events. The cinema is owned by Kinepolis Group. Available reference material does not provide a separately documented founding company, founder, management team, financial history or stock-market listing for Cinerama itself. The venue is best understood as a branded cinema location within Kinepolis’s exhibition operations, while retaining a distinct local identity connected to Rotterdam and to the historical Cinerama name.

• 1980

  Rebuilding in the 1980s

  [1]Cinerama (Rotterdam)en.wikipedia.org

  The venue was rebuilt during the 1980s, establishing the basis for its later multi-screen configuration.

• 1960

  Cinerama opens in Rotterdam

  [1]Cinerama (Rotterdam)en.wikipedia.org

  The cinema opened in July 1960 on the former Scala cinema site. Its inaugural film was This Is Cinerama, a 1952 production associated with the Cinerama projection system from which the venue took its name.

• Seven-screen configuration

  [1]Cinerama (Rotterdam)en.wikipedia.org

  Cinerama operates seven screens with capacities ranging from 67 to 291 seats, supporting both regular releases and smaller specialist or festival presentations.

• Integration into Kinepolis Group

  [1]Cinerama (Rotterdam)en.wikipedia.org

  Cinerama is owned by Kinepolis Group and operates as part of that cinema exhibition group.

A centrally located Rotterdam cinema combining mainstream releases, arthouse films and festival programming across seven screens.

• Cinema exhibition

  Mainstream film screenings

  Cinerama presents commercially released films in its larger and medium-sized auditoriums. The seven-screen layout allows the venue to accommodate films with different audience sizes and screening requirements while maintaining a broad theatrical programme.

• Cinema exhibition

  Arthouse and specialist cinema

  Alongside mainstream releases, the cinema screens arthouse and other specialist films. Its smaller auditoriums provide space for films that may appeal to more focused audiences or require a less commercially oriented programme setting.

• Film festivals and cultural programming

  Festival screenings

  Cinerama hosts festival-related screenings, including programmes associated with Arab Cinema, the International Film Festival Rotterdam and the Wildlife Film Festival. These events extend the venue’s role into international, cultural and documentary-oriented film exhibition.

1. 1Cinerama (Rotterdam)en.wikipedia.org
2. 2Cinerama Filmtheater official websitecineramabios.nl