L’émergence des multi-salles en RFA: le cas de Düsseld

Abstract

This article studies the evolution of movie theatres in the city of Düsseldorf from 1920 to 1989, particularly in the post-war period. Between 1945 and 1959, the number of cinemas grew constantly; the first closure came in 1960, beginning a decline. In 1969, a new strategy appeared: dividing cinemas into several screening rooms. This became a dominant practice throughout the 1970s, although it did not spread in a linear or homogeneous manner. The authors trace the complexity of the process, taking into account such things as earlier periods of growth, from 1920 to 1945, and the effects of social change on film exhibition. The article demonstrates how film exhibitors adapted as they transitioned from the formula “one building = one cinema” to that of the “cinema centre.”