This is one of the oldest movie theaters in Paris! The Cinéma du Panthéon – listed as an art house – used to be a gymnasium. It was refurbished into a movie theater in 1907 by the Omnia-Pathé company. In the 1930’s, it becomes the first theater in Paris playing movies in original version. And in the 1960’s, the place is used to play many premieres making the “productor’s room” stand out at that time. And the story does not stop there! In keeping with the 60’s, the Why Not production company takes over the movie theater in 2001. The company produces – among others – movies of Arnaud Desplechin, Claude Lanzmann and Jacques Audiard. For almost 20 years now, screenings are focusing on movies produced by Why Not such as Sorry We Missed You, Chanson Douce or Roubaix, une lumière. Yet, you can also enjoy national releases screened in a classic digital format.
The asset of the place: upstairs, right above the movie theater room, stands a 150sqm area featuring a restaurant, a bar and a heated terrace, perfect to stay warm in the winter.
The lounge has been entirely decorated by Catherine Deneuve and antique dealer Christian Sapet with items bargain-hunted in second-hand stores. The menu features simple dishes: soups, smoked fish, salads, shrimp curry, spinach tortilla… it has it all to feed you after a movie screening. Right by the movie theater, the Librairie du Panthéon bookstore is also available. It sells books, magazines, and movie posters. For the youngest of us, educative books and comics are available as well.
Within a five-minute walk, you can visit the famous Panthéon, a monument devoted to the memory of great characters who made history of France. And around, you can also discover the National Museum of the Middle Ages and the Luxembourg garden!
Location
Pantheon Cinema
13 rue Victor Cousin
75005 Paris 5
Official website
www.whynotproductions.fr
