Palads Teatret

Palads Teatret, commonly called Palads, is a major cinema venue on Axeltorv in central Copenhagen, Denmark. Operated by Nordisk Film, it is one of the country’s best-known cinemas and is distinguished by both its long institutional history and its unusually large multiplex format. The current venue has 17 auditoriums and approximately 2,600 seats, giving it the capacity to show a broad range of films simultaneously. Its program is intended to serve different age groups and viewing preferences, from mainstream releases and family films to other theatrical titles distributed in the Danish market. The cinema opened on 18 October 1912 in Copenhagen’s former central railway station. The station had ceased operating in 1911 after the opening of a replacement station, and the former transport building was adapted for entertainment use. At opening, Palads had 1,780 seats and a 30-person orchestra, making it one of Scandinavia’s largest entertainment centers. The original station structure was later demolished in 1917. The present building was designed by Andreas Clemmensen and Johan Nielsen, while the roof sculpture Ursus and the Bull by Kai Nielsen became one of the venue’s most recognizable architectural features. The sculpture was gilded in 1949, several decades after the cinema first opened. Palads underwent a substantial modernization in 1955 under the supervision of Holger Pind. The work included new ventilation, carpeting, seating, rosewood wall paneling, and a CinemaScope screen measuring approximately 12 meters in width. By the middle of the 1970s, however, changing audience patterns and declining cinema attendance threatened the venue’s viability. Instead of closing or maintaining one very large auditorium, the operator adopted the emerging multiplex model. In 1978, the original configuration was divided into 12 auditoriums, drawing on the example of the Marignan Concorde cinema in Paris. Although the plan initially attracted skepticism, the result was a strong commercial response, with 57,921 visitors recorded during the first week after the conversion. Five additional basement auditoriums opened in September 1979, bringing the venue to its present 17-screen concept. The building’s visual identity was transformed in 1989, when artist Poul Gernes painted its exterior in vivid pastel colors. The brightly colored facade, particularly striking when illuminated at night, made Palads a prominent landmark in central Copenhagen. A complete foyer renovation in 2010 updated the public areas for contemporary cinema use and incorporated modern design and technology. The venue has also been used for events beyond ordinary film screenings, including sports-related functions and ballet performances. Its technical facilities include digital projection and Digital 3D capability. Palads has appeared in Danish popular culture as a filming location, including the films Man elsker kun een gang from 1945 and Olsen-banden går amok from 1973. The wider Palads Building complex has also contained nightlife businesses since the 1970s. One notable tenant was Daddy’s Dance Hall, which operated as a live-music venue from 1975 to 1978 and hosted two Sex Pistols concerts in 1977. Through its architecture, programming scale, and central location, Palads functions both as a commercial multiplex and as a visible part of Copenhagen’s entertainment history.

Palads Teatret was established as a cinema in Copenhagen after the city’s former central railway station at Axeltorv stopped operating in 1911. The replacement station had taken over railway service, allowing the old station site to be adapted for a large entertainment venue. Palads opened on 18 October 1912 with 1,780 seats and a 30-member orchestra. At the time, it was presented as one of Scandinavia’s largest entertainment centers, reflecting the growing importance of cinema and large-scale popular entertainment in the early twentieth century. The original station building was demolished in 1917. The replacement structure, designed by Andreas Clemmensen and Johan Nielsen, became the architectural basis of the cinema seen today. Kai Nielsen’s sculpture Ursus and the Bull was placed on the roof from the beginning and later gilded in 1949. The building’s architectural character remained an important part of Palads’s identity even as its internal layout and technical facilities changed repeatedly. In 1955, Holger Pind supervised an extensive renovation. The project provided new ventilation, carpeting, seating, rosewood wall paneling, and a CinemaScope screen approximately 12 meters wide. These changes modernized both audience comfort and presentation technology during a period when cinemas were responding to competition from newer forms of home entertainment and to changing expectations about widescreen spectacle. The venue faced a more direct commercial challenge in the mid-1970s, when declining cinema attendance threatened its future. The operator responded by converting the large cinema into a multiplex. Inspired in part by the six-screen restructuring of the Marignan Concorde cinema in Paris, Palads was divided into 12 auditoriums in 1978. The plan was initially viewed with skepticism, but the result was highly successful: the cinema recorded 57,921 visitors in its first week after the conversion. Five additional basement auditoriums opened in September 1979. The interior was redecorated in blue and gray, with red seating, and the expanded layout allowed the venue to show more titles and tailor auditorium sizes to different audiences. The exterior received its most distinctive modern treatment in 1989, when artist Poul Gernes painted the building in vivid pastel colors. The facade became particularly prominent after dark, when its lighting emphasized the cinema’s position on the central Axeltorv. In 2010, the foyer underwent a complete renovation that brought the public areas closer to contemporary cinema design and technology standards. In its current form, Palads has 17 auditoriums and approximately 2,600 seats. It is operated by Nordisk Film and offers one of Denmark’s broadest cinema programs, covering films aimed at different age groups and audience interests. Its facilities support digital projection and Digital 3D. The venue is also available for activities beyond routine film exhibition, including sports functions and ballet performances. Palads has a wider cultural connection with Copenhagen’s entertainment history. The building has served as a filming location for Man elsker kun een gang, released in 1945, and Olsen-banden går amok, released in 1973. The end of the wider Palads Building at Axeltorv 5 also housed several nightclubs from the 1970s onward. Daddy’s Dance Hall operated there as a live-music venue from 1975 to 1978 and was notable for hosting two Sex Pistols concerts in 1977. Palads therefore represents both a functioning cinema business and a continuously adapted urban entertainment landmark.

• 2010

  Foyer renovation

  [1]Palads Teatreten.wikipedia.org

  The foyer was comprehensively refurbished with updated design and technology.

• 1989

  Exterior painted by Poul Gernes

  [1]Palads Teatreten.wikipedia.org

  Poul Gernes covered the exterior in vivid pastel colors, giving Palads its signature visual appearance.

• 1979

  Expansion to 17 auditoriums

  [1]Palads Teatreten.wikipedia.org

  Five basement auditoriums opened, expanding the cinema to its current 17-auditorium configuration.

• 1978

  Conversion to a 12-screen multiplex

  [1]Palads Teatreten.wikipedia.org

  The original large-scale format was divided into 12 auditoriums to address declining attendance and broaden programming.

• 1955

  Comprehensive renovation

  [1]Palads Teatreten.wikipedia.org

  The cinema was modernized with new ventilation, furnishings, seating, wall paneling, and a CinemaScope screen.

• 1949

  Roof sculpture is gilded

  [1]Palads Teatreten.wikipedia.org

  Kai Nielsen’s Ursus and the Bull sculpture, installed on the roof at the beginning, was gilded.

• 1917

  Present building replaces former station structure

  [1]Palads Teatreten.wikipedia.org

  The former station building was demolished, making way for the building designed by Andreas Clemmensen and Johan Nielsen.

• 1912

  Cinema opens in former central railway station

  [1]Palads Teatreten.wikipedia.org

  Palads Teatret opened on 18 October 1912 at Axeltorv with 1,780 seats and a 30-person orchestra.

A centrally located, high-capacity Copenhagen multiplex that combines broad mainstream programming and modern cinema technology with a distinctive historic building and colorful architectural identity.

• Cinema exhibition · 1978

  Mainstream feature-film screenings

  Palads’s core offering is theatrical exhibition across 17 auditoriums. Its multiplex format allows the venue to present several releases concurrently, including major Danish and international films. The large number of screens supports a broad program rather than dependence on a single title or audience segment.

• Cinema exhibition

  Family and children’s cinema

  The venue’s broad programming is designed to include films for children and families alongside films aimed at adult audiences. Multiple auditoriums and a central Copenhagen location allow the cinema to schedule family titles at different times while maintaining a wider general release program.

• Cinema technology

  Digital 3D screenings

  Palads is equipped for Digital 3D presentations, extending its film-exhibition offer beyond standard digital screenings. The technology is used for titles released in compatible 3D formats and forms part of the venue’s modern technical infrastructure.

• Venue hire and events

  Special events

  In addition to regular movie screenings, the cinema can host other public or organized events. Documented uses include sports functions and ballet performances, reflecting the flexibility of its auditoriums and central entertainment-venue role.

• 2010

  Modernize the foyerGeneration change

  Background

  The cinema required an updated public-facing environment consistent with contemporary cinema design and technology.

  Action taken

  The foyer was completely renovated and updated with modern design and technology.

  Aftermath

  The refurbishment supported Palads’s continued operation as a modern multiplex while preserving its historic and visually distinctive building.

  Source

• 1979

  Expand the multiplex with five basement auditoriumsGeneration change

  Background

  The successful 1978 multiplex conversion created a basis for further capacity and programming expansion.

  Action taken

  Five additional auditoriums were opened in the basement in September, taking the venue to 17 screens.

  Aftermath

  The 17-auditorium format became the basis for Palads’s broad contemporary film selection.

  Source

• 1978

  Adopt a multiplex operating modelStrategy

  Background

  Declining cinema audiences in the 1970s threatened the viability of the traditional large-auditorium format. The operator looked to the restructuring of the Marignan Concorde cinema in Paris as a model for dividing a large venue into multiple screens.

  Action taken

  Palads was rebuilt as a 12-auditorium cinema, replacing the earlier large single-screen configuration with a format capable of showing more titles and serving more audience segments.

  Aftermath

  Despite initial skepticism, the change was reported to have been highly successful, attracting 57,921 visitors in its first week.

  Source

1. 1Palads Teatreten.wikipedia.org
2. 2Palads cinema listingnfbio.dk