UGC Champs-Elysées

Open in 1936, this theater had become the last single-screen theater on the Champs-Elysées since the closure of its neighbor and competitor, the Gaumont Champs-Elysées at the end of 1999. A long corridor, which was bordered with mirrors and large posters (left).

This theater had already been programmed by UGC when its name was Elysées Cinéma. It became the UGC circuit after renovation work in 1980 and became "UGC Champs-Elysées". The auditorium was one of the first one to be equipped with the new UGC seats (black with wood on the back); the rest of the decoration: black curtains, grey carpeting, and white walls (which woulnd't remain white, and were eventually redone in grey).

The UGC Champs-Elysées also became one of the first UGC auditoriums to get the "UGC Prestige" label in the middle of the eighties, even though one might have wondered how it got this label, since its screen was far from being huge (8.5 meters).

The theater had 459 seats, with three small rows of six seats each in the back for those looking for some intimacy (and don't mind being miles away from the screen!)

The theater was equipped with Dolby SR and DTS sound systems, and it also played a few 70mm prints. Just like the Gaumont Champs-Elysées, it playeed both art movies and quality blockbusters, allin their original languages with subtitles. The projection booth was very small, it could be reach from the outside. (above).

For about two years, we could notice that all the UGC Champs-Elysées's neighbors had closed down, the theater being the only place still alive in the building, and we were worried about its survival. Recently, a sign was put on the building (left), mentionning a "réhabilitation" de l'immeuble. We now understand one of réhabilitation's meanings can be destruction of a more than sixty-years old movie theater. We should all congratulate the happy owners for the way they do business...

The theater closed down January 15, 2002, after the last show of the evening; it played "Le Peuple Migrateur" (The Travelling Birds). Once again, the Champs-Elysées lost some of its soul. One more reason for the moviegoers to stay out of the Champs, which used to name itself the "most beautiful avenue in the world". Only seven movie theaters are still open in the area, only five of them being located on the avenue. Until the mid-eighties, most of the Parisian moviegoers used to meet on this avenue and get on line in front of their favorites cinemas, but since then, the Champs-Elysées have been taken over by tourists and suburbian crowds. What a pity!...

Photo credits:
All pictures: © Silver Screens 2002