Empire Cinema, Nairobi

 

The Empire Cinema, Nairobi was one of Nairobi's early cinemas. It was established by a Polish Jewish immigrant and was sold to South Africans under New Theatres Limited. It was later bought by African Consolidated Films which also owned other early cinemas like the Playhouse and Capital cinemas before being sold to 20th Century Fox in the late 1950s.

Empire Cinema was located next to New Stanley Hotel and was replaced with the IPS building. Empire Theatre was located on Hardinge Street - now Kimathi Street

Regal Cinema, Mombasa - late 1960s

 

Vedesh Cinema, Thika, Kenya 1970s

 

Kenya National Theatre, Nairobi

 

Capitol Theatre, Nairobi

This cinema was demolished after 1955 and replaced with the Ambassadeur Hotel!! 

Rainbow Cinema, Nairobi

 

The Rainbow Cinema in Nairobi, was located at the Nairobi West Shopping Centre, and appears to be a historic single-screen cinema

The Rainbow Church of Christ purchased the Rainbow Cinema complex in 1990. The theater which has a large stage and screen for overhead projection and films can seat 520 persons and has rooms in both the front and back of the auditorium*

Rainbow Cinema is listed here:

https://www.cinematour.com/theatres/fo/KE/1.html...

*

https://www.ngctc.ac.ke/our-history/...

Majestic Cinema, Tanga

 

Elgon Cinema, Mbale, Uganda

Elgon Cinema in Mbale seating ranged from 500-900. It was built in 1956. The photo below shows the poster Zamana. Zamana was released in 1985

Elgon Cinema auditorium was being used as a church in 2019:

Century Cinemax Cinemas in East Africa

 

Century Cinemax is the leading cinema chain in East Africa. With a history born out of Tanzania, the chain now boasts more than 65% market share, with:

3 sites In Tanzania,

3 in Uganda,

and 4 in Kenya.

Century Cinemax is now the exclusive licensee of the patented IMAX screening format, having the only IMAX screen in the whole of East Africa.

Century Cinemax branches in Kenya can be found only at the following locations:

Century Cinemax, Junction Mall, Ngong Road
Century IMAX, Garden City Mall.
Century Cinemax, Sarit.
Century Cinemax, Two Rivers (see photo below). (You can see a technician at work in the projection booth!!)

Nairobi Indian Cinemas 1970s tickets!!

Embassy and Liberty Cinemas:

See a sample of an Embassy Cinema ticket - customer's portion below.    

        

In Nairobi upstairs was called 'Circle' while in Mombasa we referred it to the 'Balcony'!!. Embassy Cinema was owned by the Samji Kala family, the same family that owned wonderful Kenya Cinema in Mombasa.

This ticket was probably issued in the early 1970s. The date is in Gujerati! Can someone translate!

On the top left of the Embassy ticket you can see a portion of the the circular entertainment tax stamp. Each such ticket had to be stamped by a cinema staff member at the tax office. The ticket books (usually 100 tickets to a book) could only be released from the tax office after paying the entertainment tax in advance!! You can read more about Kenya's entertainment tax system in the 1960s-1980s here https://historiccinemaseastafrica.blogspot.com/search...

The photo at the bottom provides a Liberty Cinema ticket-customer's portion. 

I liked sitting at the back in the stalls as you could look directly ahead on a screen that was far enough, while in the balcony you had to look slightly down!! The new cinemas have no stalls!! If you find a seat so that you can look directly ahead the screen is usually too big

Globe Cinema, Nairobi ticket

 

Globe Cinema Nairobi ticket

The date is written in Gujarati...12.6.1974

It's for a Saturday Night 8pm show of an Indian film. Looks like its for seat # CC18. Remember the days when an usher showed you your seat even if you knew where your seat was!! Note the ticket #11331.

Occasionally a government entertainment tax auditor would buy a ticket such as this and show up the next day to see the books so as to check if this ticket was recorded as a sale!!

After printing, ticket books were stored at the government Tax office. The cinema had to pay entertainment tax in advance before ticket books were released!! It's a pity they did not extend this system for Video stores!!