The former Roxy Palace cinema in the Antwerp municipality of Rumst will reopen next year after having been closed for over 50 years. The opening is scheduled for April.
After more than 50 years of closure, the iconic cinema Roxy Palace on the Statiestraat in Rumst will open its doors again in April 2024. The municipality has approved a partnership with the building's current owners.
The cinema first opened in 1929 but stopped in the late 1970s due to the declining success of the cinema. Part of the building was converted into a discotheque in the 1980s, but that story too came to an end. The building has hardly been used since 1993. However, the facade, bar and foyer were refurbished.
Credit: Cinema Roxy Palace
"All other original aspects look like they used to," Rumst city councillor Marleen De Bruyn said on Flemish radio. "You will sit on wooden chairs with a cushion and, just like in the old days, ice pralines will be sold during the break."
The cinema hall exceptionally opened its doors for Open Monument Day in September 2023. "That turned out to be a huge success: everyone was wildly enthusiastic. That is why we thought it would be a good idea to revive the cinema."
Credit: Cinema Roxy Palace
"The plan is to show two films every month from April onwards. It will mainly show film classics, which can range from Casablanca to the more recent Parasite," she said.
The authorities will also take temperature into account, as the hall is almost a century old and is not insulated. "The owner promised to address this issue so that screenings can also take place in winter."
