Oldest purpose-built cinema in operation
Who
Eden Theâtre
What
122:102 year(s):day(s)
Where
France (La Ciotat)
When

The oldest purpose-built cinema in operation is the Eden Theâtre (France, est. 21 March 1899), which has been operational for 122 years 102 days, in La Ciotat, France, as of 1 July 2021.


The theatre was first opened on 15 June 1889 in La Ciotat, known as the birth city of cinema. Auguste and Louis Lumière, responsible for the first commercial exhibition of a projected motion picture (film), did in fact show a film at the venue in October 1895, however the first profitable projection at the theatre did not occur until 21 March 1899. The cinema has been operational ever since and even during a renovation period in 2012-13 was still able to host a limited number of screenings.