UGC Normandie

UGC Normandie was a historic movie theater located at 116bis avenue des Champs-Élysées in the 8th arrondissement of Paris, France. Originally opened in 1937 as Le Normandie, it was one of the most prestigious cinemas on the Champs-Élysées, a street that served as a showcase for the film industry. The building was constructed by Léonard Rosenthal, who commissioned architects Pierre de Montaut and Adrienne Gorska to design it in an art moderne style. The cinema opened on 4 February 1937 with the premiere of L'Invincible Armada. Its vast single auditorium, seating around 2,000, was compared to the ocean liner Normandie, after which it was named. In 1969 the cinema underwent a major transformation, dividing the large single screen into multiple smaller auditoriums. The upper half of the balcony became Salle 1, while the lower half remained unused until the Lido cabaret took over the space in 1977. The main auditorium, known as the Grand Normandie, was created in 1969 with an ovoid shape, a distinctive ash-wood ceiling, blue carpeting, and club seats. With 862 seats, it was the second-largest cinema auditorium in Paris after the Grand Rex, and it became a favored venue for premieres and film events. The Normandie was acquired in the 1950s by a public company that later merged with other distributors to form the Union générale cinématographique (UGC) in 1971. Under UGC, the cinema continued to operate as UGC Normandie, hosting numerous high-profile premieres, including the world premiere of Alien: Resurrection in 1997. It was the penultimate cinema remaining on the avenue when it closed on 13 June 2024, marking the end of an era for Parisian cinema-goers. The closure left only one cinema on the Champs-Élysées.

The UGC Normandie was originally built in 1937 by Léonard Rosenthal, who wanted to renovate the Cinéma des Champs-Élysées. He engaged architects Pierre de Montaut and Adrienne Gorska to design the building and its decor in an art moderne style. The building, located at the foot of the George V metro station, had a distinctive accordion-shaped façade on its top two floors, which were occupied by Rosenthal's brother Adolphe, father of artist Rachel Rosenthal. The ground floor initially housed the café Normandy, which quickly gave way to the cinema's lobby. The cinema kept the café's name, as its 2,000 seats seemed as oversized as the ocean liner Normandie. The Normandie opened on 4 February 1937 with the premiere of L'Invincible Armada, starring Flora Robson. The auditorium was trapezoidal, 45 meters long, 37 meters wide at its widest, and 14 meters high, with 1,275 seats in the orchestra and 660 in the balcony, facing an 18-meter-wide stage. The screen and speakers were movable and descended from the flies for projections. The venue could also be used for music-hall performances. It quickly gained a prestigious reputation, hosting galas for premieres such as Premier Rendez-vous in August 1941 with Danielle Darrieux, and Ivan the Terrible in 1946. It presented exclusive films and music-hall shows; in 1938, a music-hall act by champion Jules Ladoumègue filled the house. Radio crochet shows were also organized and broadcast live by Radio-Cité. During the Occupation, the Normandie served as a cinema for German soldiers, showing films produced by Continental Films. Above the cinema, the premises were occupied by Radio Paris. In 1953, the Normandie was one of the first cinemas in Paris equipped for CinemaScope, with a new 13m x 8m screen and new sound system. On 4 December, it hosted the gala premiere of The Robe, the first film ever shot in CinemaScope, preceded by the world premiere of Marcel Ichac's Nouveaux Horizons, the first French CinemaScope film. In the 1950s, the Normandie was acquired by a public company that later merged with other distributors to create the Union générale cinématographique (UGC) in 1971. In 1969, the cinema underwent a major restructuring, following the trend of dividing large single-screen cinemas into smaller ones. The large 2,000-seat auditorium with balcony and orchestra was split at the balcony level. The upper half, including the projection booth, became Salle 1. The lower half, with the parterre, stage, and boxes, remained unused. Three more smaller auditoriums opened in subsequent decades. In 1977, the Lido cabaret moved into the vacant spaces under the main auditorium, and the entrance hall on the Champs-Élysées was divided in two, with the right half allocated to the cabaret. The Grand Normandie, created in 1969, was an ovoid auditorium with a special ash-wood ceiling whose relief patterns improved acoustics. The walls were covered with alternating blue carpet and ash panels, and unique blue velvet club seats were installed. The auditorium quickly became a reference in Paris for its comfort and technical features. It frequently hosted premieres, such as the world premiere of Alien: Resurrection by Jean-Pierre Jeunet on 6 November 1997. It was one of the few cinemas in Paris capable of hosting such events. The UGC Normandie closed on 13 June 2024, leaving only one cinema on the Champs-Élysées.

• 2024

  UGC Normandie closes on 13 June, leaving only one cinema on the Champs-Élysées.

• 1997

  World premiere of Alien: Resurrection held at the Grand Normandie on 6 November.

• 1977

  The Lido cabaret moves into the vacant spaces under the main auditorium.

• 1971

  UGC (Union générale cinématographique) is formed, and the cinema becomes UGC Normandie.

• 1969

  Major restructuring divides the large single auditorium into multiple screens; the Grand Normandie is created.

• 1953

  The Normandie is equipped for CinemaScope and hosts the gala premiere of The Robe.

• 1937

  The Normandie cinema opens on 4 February with the premiere of L'Invincible Armada.

Prestigious cinema for premieres and cinephiles on the Champs-Élysées

Product categories. Cinema screenings · Film premieres · Special events

1. 1Salles de cinéma UGC à Paris - UGC.frugc.fr
2. 2UGC Normandie - Wikidatawikidata.org
3. 3UGC Normandie - Wikipédiafr.wikipedia.org