The historic São Jorge Cinema in Lisbon will close on October 25 for a major overhaul, including repairing the roof, rewiring of the entire electrical system– which is still the original system from the 50s – and the installation of air conditioning.
According to Pedro Nereu, from Lisbon Câmara’s cultural department, the cinema will re-open next summer, “if everything runs smoothly”. The Câmara acquired the São Jorge Cinema several years ago and has already installed new emergency exits. Now it wants to adapt the biggest theatre, which has over 800 seats, to allow the venue to stage live shows as well as films.
“The main focus will always be cinema, but, if we find partners in the arts, we would like to host concerts and theatre shows,” explained Nereu. The ultimate aim is to broaden the appeal of the venue, which has experienced dwindling ticket sales.
