Dar es Salaam Film Listings, Sunday News May 8th 1966

 

1973 Bruce Lee Stamps Tanzania

 Bruce Lee was considered the "non aligned super hero" in Tanzania!!

The Kenya Cinema, the Regal Cinema and the Port Reitz Hotel Mombasa

 

Port Reitz, an area located to the northwest of Mombasa Island, was named after Lieutenant J. J. Reitz, an officer in the Royal Navy, who became commander of Mombasa in February 1824.

Interestingly the hotel was designed and built by William Miller Robertson as business was bad at the Regal Theatre on Salim Road!

We do not know what happened between 1935 and 1955 at the Port Reitz Hotel. However, in 1956 Mohanlal Kala, the owner of Majestic Cinema and Kenya Cinema in Mombasa decided to purchase the Port Reitz Hotel and 50 acres around Port Reitz Airport (see below screenshot from the book Jambo Samji Kala).

The hotel was leased to a British expatriate. According to the book, the hotel was only open to the British, and even Mohanlal Kala was expected to enter the hotel from the side entrance. Because of this and the fact that the hotel served meat, Mohanlal Kala decided to sell the hotel! ...and that was that!!

Who built the Regal Theatre in Mombasa?

 Some literature makes claims that the brothers Janmohamed Hasham and Valli Hasham built the Regal Theatre. However, I vaguely recall my dad telling me that they in fact purchased the property after construction. I have come across some evidence confirming this!!

William Miller Robertson is listed as a company director in the 29th December 1934 edition of the Kenya Gazette. (see screenshot below).

Additionally, one of the Kenya Regiment Association booklet‘s (see screen shot below) explains that business was so bad at the Regal Theatre in 1935, that William Miller Robertson who was running the theatre and who was a registered architect decided to design and build the Port Reitz Hotel to generate income.

Consistent with the above, the 20th November 1934 Kenya Gazette indicates that the Regal Theatres and Cinemas (East Africa) Limited sold the business (assets and goodwill) to Valli Hasham & Company (see screenshot below). Amazing!!

This further adds to the role and influence of the British in the early development of the theatres, cinemas and the entertainment industry in Kenya.

It appears William Miller Robertson continued in the capacity of a manager or lessee at the Regal!!

Film India Cinema, Nairobi

Film India Cinema changed its name sometime in the 1960s to Casino Cinema!!

Top Photo: present day Casino building is now a church

Middle Photo: premises on corner of Varma Road leading to Casino Cinema (extreme left)

Bottom Photo: River Road in junction with Latema Road on left and Verma Road on right. Right of Moonlit Chemists about 50 yards was the Casino Cinema formerly Film India Cinema.

photos from:

http://www.sikh-heritage.co.uk/.../nostalgic%20EAfrica... 

Shan Cinema, 14th Top Iconic building in Nairobi

Remember the days when cinemas had large posters outside the main entrance? see below ....see the large poster for Sone Chidya.......around 1958 (middle photo). Shan Cinema seated 650 persons.

In 2012 a survey by the Architectural Association of Kenya and the National Musuems of Kenya named the Shan building (now Sarakasi Dome bottom photo) as the 14th top iconic building that gave Nairobi it's unique character!! (Nation.Africa Kenyas Top 15 buildings Sept 7th 2012 issue)

Cameo Cinema 1964 advert in East African Standard

Ownership of Cameo Cinema in Nairobi changed in 1961 and the cinema was renovated.

The East African Standard 1964 copy (below) shows Cameo Cinema placed a large advert on the first page (see bottom right of page 1 below)!!

Wow!! Continuous shows from 10.15 am. Apparently continuous shows was started by Cameo Cinema!!

Coliseum Cinema in Khartoum, Sudan

 

1935 Coliseum Cinema in Khartoum, Sudan converted to Riot Police HQ in 1989!!

After the military coup of 1989, Sudan's government suppressed cinema...... and the country's cinema screens showcasing Hollywood, Bollywood and Arabic movies were all eventually shut down, and later put up for sale. The old Coliseum Cinema, for example, became part of Khartoum's riot police headquarters.

In May 2022, Bono Cinema, the "first international cinema" in Sudan started showing current foreign movies in Khartoum with a capacity of more than 300 seats.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cinema_of_Sudan

A history of the troubled 20th Century Cinema, Nairobi!!

Most will remember the heydays of the wonderful 20th Century Cinema from the late 1950s to the mid 1980s. Here is how it looked in those days:

Things started to unravel when 20th Century Fox (EA) Ltd sold the cinema in 1986. They probably sold the theatre due to a combination of factors. English film cinema attendance had already fallen by 30% from 5.1 million in 1980 to 3.5 million in 1984. Their analysis probably revealed the film exhibition industry would collapse in Kenya given the extremely lax government controls in curbing VHS pirating early, and local cultures of obtaining things at a bargain and not losing sleep over foreign movie industry not being legally compensated. Not least events in the parent US company must have impacted events in Kenya. Marvin Davis was forced to sell the US company to Rupert Murdoch due to rising debt from a series of box office flops, and it is likely that as part of the company’s restructuring efforts it decided to dump its low profitability Kenyan Cinema assets and the hard-fought film distribution company.

Fox Theatres

The Fox Group operated Fox Theatres (including the 20th Century Cinema) and Fox Distribution. 25% of the shares was held by the Simba Group.

Local ownership by a company that hitherto had never operated cinemas probably further accentuated 20th Century Cinema’s precipitous decline.

I was beyond shocked when I visited the Kenya cinema on Moi Avenue to view the latest Bond film in 1987 (The Living Daylights). The quality of the film presentation was poor with the lighting particularly dark throughout the film. It was obvious the 35mm projector reflectors needed replacement. The auditorium lights during the preshow and interval were harshly bright, and instead of the smartly dressed and friendly cinema staff I had to maneuver through a scowling scruffy bookkeeper as I chose my favorite seat. It was as if he was doing me a favor!

What the Fox cinemas needed was Raman bhai Savani owner of Kenya Cinema Mombasa, who I think by far was most attuned to cinema patrons needs and incredibly always focused on providing a quality film presentation!

20th Century Plaza – 2 Screens!

With the declining cinema attendance, the owners decided to close and twin the cinema to 2 screens. The cinemas were advertised as 20th Century Screen 1 and Screen 2.

This was in operation until 2011.

This is how the 20th Century looked after twinning of the original cinema:

Imax 20th Century at the 20th Century Plaza – back to the future with 1 screen!

Fox Theatres faced declining profitability by early 2011 due to declining cinema attendance, increase in pirating and new players. The twining of the cinema could not save it! Fox Theatres sold 20th Century Plaza. Blue Sky World Ltd took over 20th Century Cinema.

By 2011 North America had replaced 35mm projection systems with digital projection systems. Most Hollywood movies in Canada were digitally presented in 2011. Nairobi kept up with new technology!

In November 2011 Screen 1 of 20th Century was closed and renovated while Screen 2 continued for a short time. The roof of Screen 1 was raised and a floor to roof extra-large Imax screen, 7.5m in height, imported from Canada was set up. The projectors are converted to a 3D Imax projection system. The auditorium was totally renovated and opened in March 2012 with 255 seats! Here is a photo of Imax 20th Century

2019 Fire

In March 2019 a fire broke out in the offices side of the 20th Century building. Nairobi fire fighters worked hard to put out a fire in the 20th Century building. The cinema escaped with no damage!

Here is a photo of the fire in progress:

Then of course the pandemic in March 2020 ruined things further. A dispute between the landlord and the cinema tenants after nonpayment of rent for 3 months resulted in the landlord closing the cinema and attempting to auction off the furniture and equipment! There were no buyers!

Anga CBD

After being closed for 2.5 years the cinema reopened as Anga CBD in December 2022. The trademark IMAX sign outside has disappeared and been replaced with ANGA CBD at the top of the building!! Here is the photo:

Eastlands Cinema, Nairobi

 Eastlands Cinema was located on Jogoo Road, Nairobi.

The original owners of Eastlands Theatres Limited were James and Anne Kinyanjui. They constructed the cinema in 1978-79. At the time the property was valued at shs 7 million.

The property was taken over by the lender Kenya National Capital Corporation in 1983 and was sold in 1990 for shs 4.5 million as there were few buyers.

This was a great pioneering effort involving a lot of risk as there were few new cinemas constructed since Uhuru. 1983 was just about the time VHS was impacting cinema attendance.

Eastlands Cinema was still operating by 2002 under new owners! It was later converted to a church.

top photo: Eastlands Cinema from the outside

bottom left photo: Main entrance with all the film posters

bottom right photo: the auditorium and stage after it was converted to a church

ref: civil case 4640 of 1988 KENYA NATIONAL CAPITAL CORPORATION v EASTLAND THREATRES LIMITED & 2 OTHERS [2009]

Regal Cinema, Mombasa Letterhead

This letterhead was printed in the 1960s and used right upto the 1980s!! It was used mostly in corresponding with the distributors in Nairobi!!

Advertising Filmlets and Slides brought in good revenue to cinemas in Mombasa in the 1960s to 1980s ...roughly 5% to 10%

Regal Theatre, Mombasa

 

Globe Cinema, Nairobi

 

Top Ten Cinemas in Kenya by Attendance in 1981

 If you like stats.... you will love this!!

The top 10 Cinemas by box office attendance for 6 months in 1981 is shown below. The figures include cinemas that screened either English movies (A), or Indian movies (B), or both English and Indian movies (X). Other than Kenya Cinema and Regal in Mombasa all the Cinemas were in Nairobi.

note: double the figures to get annual numbers; the top ten cinemas accounted for roughly 40% of the total annual Kenya movie attendance of approx. 7 million

Fox Drive In, Nairobi

 

                                                                             

 

2 interesting photos:

The top one is of the box office booths at the entrance of the Drive In. You can see the screen in the background center right.

The bottom photo is of the screen (from the rear).

When the Drive In opened it was known just as: 'the Drive In'. Later the name changed to Fox Drive In

Top 10 Cinemas in Kenya by Box Office Collections Jan-Jun 1981

 

Film Listings, Mombasa Times, Wed Feb 11th, 1959

 

 

 

Green Cinema, Nairobi

 

Green Cinema, Nairobi in the 1950's

Green Cinema was later demolished.

The Green Cinema plot was combined with the neighboring plot. Embassy Cinema was built on the combined plot. Embassy Cinema opened in 1958.

The first movie shown at Embassy Cinema was DO ANKHEN BARAH HAATH

It won a Silver Bear at the 8th Berlin International Film Festival and a Golden Globe Award in the Samuel Goldwyn International Film Award for best film produced outside of the United States category

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Do_Aankhen_Barah_Haath...

Cameo Cinema, Nairobi

 This photo was taken sometime in 1973!

Embassy Cinema, Nairobi

nice timeline..

top photo ...Embassy Cinema photo in the 1950s

center photo...probably 1970s

bottom photo ...how it looks today

photo taken from the balcony:

Nairobi Cinema, Royal Circle

 Have you ever sat in the Royal Circle in Nairobi Cinema?

In the 1970s the most luxurious and expensive seats were in the first row on the balcony (see photo below). The seat cushions were more comfortable than other seats.

You had an unobstructed view of the cinema screen. No one's head or body came in the way! Additionally, there was more space to stretch your feet. Not least there was a partition behind you to give you privacy. You avoided moviegoers walking and kicking your seat from the back!

If you went to see a movie in the afternoon or evenings you might be sitting next to someone in a smart suit. Perhaps a mp, businessman, or some technocrat! You could not have recognized anyone as the auditorium was always dimly lit.

The location of these seats was in the center. You did not have to look up (such as the front stalls) or look down (such as at the back of the balcony) (see photo below).

Today you will not find any such cinemas in the west as the trend is for stadium style seating. So, this is a truly heritage cinema!!