Globe Cinema was a single screen cinema hall and heritage building located in Lindsay Street (opposite New Market entrance),[1] Kolkata, West Bengal, India. The theatre was previously known as Old Opera House.[2] The wooden opera house was established in 1827 and sold to E M Cohen in 1906. Cohen converted it into a movie theatre and named it Globe Cinema. The theatre was owned by Sidhwa family and Jal Tata.[1] Dhansri Abasan Pvt Ltd partnered with Goldstar Enclave Pvt Ltd and acquired the Globe Theatre Pvt Ltd from them.[3]
| Globe Cinema | |
|---|---|
 View from the stage in 1918 | |
  Location in Kolkata | |
| General information | |
| Status | Re-Opened |
| Type | Cinema hall, heritage building |
| Location | Lindsay Street, Esplanade |
| Address | 7E, Lindsay Street |
| Town or city | Kolkata |
| Country |  India |
| Coordinates | 22°33′33″N 88°21′00″E / 22.5591°N 88.3501°E |
The gigantic single-screen theatre has made way for a mini-mall with a twin-theatre multiplex, over 100 retail stores and a food court. In October 2024, it was restored as dual-plex cinema hall by Satadeep Saha, CEO of SSR Cinemas, who leased the building.
History
editThe original wooden opera house was established in 1827. In 1906, the house, then known as Bijou Grand Opera House, was sold by E. H. Ducasse to E.M. Cohen. Cohen renamed it Grand Opera House. Later it was converted into a theatre hall and named Globe Cinema.[1] This was one of the first few theatres in Calcutta which regularly screened English movies.[4]
During World War II, the hall provided entertainment for Allied troops stationed in Calcutta.[1]
In 2000, Arijit Dutta, film distributor of Priya Entertainment, leased the hall. Priya Entertainment returned it to the owners[who?] in April 2006.[1]
In July, 2011 the cinema hall was acquired by Nitin Kumar Jain, Sri. Megh Raj Daga and Devinder Singh Shant. By 2014, under the stewardship of this team led by Jain and his company, Konsortia Construction Company Pvt. Ltd., the cinema hall was converted into a boutique shopping mall with about 100 shops and a two-screen multiplex, along with food courts.[5]
Restoration
editOn 6 October 2024, Satadeep Saha, the CEO of SSR Cinemas, leased the building and reopened the cinema hall as a dual-plex on the occasion of Durga Puja.[6][7] It has been renamed as SSR Globe Cinemas.[8] There are two screens have seating capacities of 239 and 197 respectively.[9] In 2004, Titanic was the last film which was screened at the hall before it was closed for 20 years.[10] To commemorate the reopening ceremony, Dev and Srijit Mukherji sold tickets for their upcoming film Tekka from the hall's ticket counter.[11] It became the first film to be screened in 2024.[12] Alongwith Stree 2, the cinema hall became operational once again from 8 October 2024.[13][14]
References
edit- ^ a b c d e "Rise and fall of dream theatres". Telegraph Calcutta. 2 July 2012. Archived from the original on 11 January 2013. Retrieved 21 August 2012.
- ^ Swati Mitra (2011). Kolkata: City Guide. Goodearth Publications. p. 48. ISBN 978-93-80262-15-4.
- ^ "New-look Globe to be back this Puja". The Times of India. 17 August 2014. Retrieved 14 May 2016.
- ^ India today. Thomson Living Media India Ltd. 2002. p. 12.
- ^ "New-look Globe to be back this Puja". The Times of India. 17 August 2014. Retrieved 15 July 2020.
- ^ "Kolkata's iconic Globe cinema to reopen on Tuesday". The Economic Times. 7 October 2024. Retrieved 8 October 2024.
- ^ Karia, Vedant (8 October 2024). "The iconic Globe Cinema is returning in a new avatar!". The Telegraph. Retrieved 8 October 2024.
- ^ Niyogi, Agnivo (21 September 2024). "Kolkata's Globe Cinema to reopen as dual-plex ahead of Durga Puja". The Telegraph. Retrieved 8 October 2024.
- ^ "Globe cinema to reopen today". Times of India. 8 October 2024. Retrieved 8 October 2024.
- ^ "'খুলবে ইলোরা, চিত্রা, নটরাজ প্রেক্ষাগৃহও', গ্লোব ফিরিয়ে দিয়ে ঘোষণা করলেন পরিবেশক শতদীপ". Anandabazar Patrika (in Bengali). 6 October 2024. Retrieved 8 October 2024.
- ^ "'টেক্কা'র ছোঁয়ায় স্বমহিমায় 'গ্লোব' সিনেমা, ফের পথচলা কলকাতার অন্যতম প্রেক্ষাগৃহের". Sangbad Pratidin (in Bengali). Retrieved 8 October 2024.
- ^ "Dev at Globe Cinema: ২০ বছর পর খুলল গ্লোব সিনেমা, প্রথমদিন কাউন্টারে নিজের হাতে 'টেক্কা'র টিকিট বিক্রি করলেন দেব..." Zee News (in Bengali). 6 October 2024. Retrieved 8 October 2024.
- ^ Mitra, Debraj (8 October 2024). "Globe Cinema reopens today with Srijit Mukherjee's 'Tekka'". The Telegraph. Retrieved 8 October 2024.
- ^ "পুজোর আগে 'ডাবল স্ক্রিন' নিয়ে ফিরছে গ্লোব, প্রেক্ষাগৃহে টিকিট বিক্রি করবেন সৃজিত-দেব". Anandabazar Patrika (in Bengali). 5 October 2024. Retrieved 8 October 2024.
External links
edit- Bijou Grand Opera House
- Case history
- Official webpage of the Globe Mall Archived 25 January 2016 at the Wayback Machine