Porto has always been a city closely linked to art. In fact, it was in Invicta that the first film in Portugal directed by a Portuguese was filmed. The screening took place on November 12, 1896, at the Teatro do Príncipe Real, now known as the Teatro Sá da Bandeira.
In this context, we want to revisit some of the cinemas that have been part of Porto ‘s history. Over time, many of these venues have closed and fallen into disrepair. However, it’s important to remember their past, as well as those that still keep their doors open today. Let’s go?
Cinema Trindade
This is one of Porto’s most emblematic cinemas and one of the few that is still open today. Cinema Trindade opened in 1913, but at that time it was called Salão Jardim da Trindade.
In the 1950s, the building was rehabilitated and an audience and cinema balcony were created. But the work didn’t stop there, as in the 1990s it was renovated again.
Then, in the 2000s, Cinema Trindade had to close. However, 17 years on, it has been given a new lease of life and is currently distinguished by its non-mainstream offer.
📍Rua do Almada 412, Porto
Batalha Cinema Center
It’s impossible not to notice it when you pass Praça da Batalha. Before it was known as the Batalha Cinema, it was the High Life Saloon, where movies were shown. The name was changed in 1947 with a refurbishment and the cinema now has two auditoriums, two bars and a restaurant with a terrace.
It closed in 2000, a victim of the decline that affected the whole city. It opened its doors briefly until today, but without a project to enable its lasting rehabilitation.
At the end of 2019, a refurbishment project began for the cinema, and it reopened its doors at the end of 2022 under the name Batalha Centro de Cinema.
📍Praça da Batalha 47, Porto
Rivoli
The Rivoli Municipal Theater has always been, and continues to be, one of the city’s main venues. Inaugurated in 1913, it began by offering only theater, and was renovated and adapted for cinema in 1923.
As was the case with many of the city’s cultural venues, it also fell into disrepair in the 1970s. However, in 1989 the Porto City Council bought the building to restore it as a cultural venue for the people of Porto.
Today, after renovations, the theater has two auditoriums, a café-concert hall, a rehearsal room and an artists’ foyer. It hosts all kinds of shows, including movies. It is, for example, home to the city’s biggest film festival, Fantasporto.
📍Praça D. João I, Porto
Golden Eagle
This building opened in 1839 as the Café Águia D’ouro and it was only in 1908 that it became a movie theater.
This was a historic movie theater and one of the most important in the city. Sound cinema was inaugurated here in 1930 with the film All That Jazz with Al Jolson.
In 1989, with no audience to keep it open, the Águia D’ouro closed its doors. It is now a hotel, which retains its characteristic façade from the 30s.
📍Praça da Batalha 35, Porto
Olympia
This theater, located in Rua de Passos Manuel, opened its doors in 1912 under the name Olympia Kinema Teatro. It was a house that appealed to elegance and charm, having been created by the same architect responsible for the Café Majestic, so it attracted attention in the city.
In the 1970s, as happened with the other cinemas, the Olympia as a cinema space didn’t survive. It became Bingo and, later, the space was used as a bar. It is now the Boîte nightclub.
📍Rua Passos Manuel 131, Porto
Carlos Alberto Theater
Inaugurated in 1897, the Teatro Carlos Alberto has always been a venue for various forms of artistic expression, from theater to cinema, and in the 1970s it was dedicated almost exclusively to showing films.
It underwent renovations, both in terms of programming and architecture, and in 2003 it was returned to the city as a renovated space with a diverse cultural offer. Today it is part of the TNSJ E.P.E., along with the São João National Theatre and the São Bento da Vitória Monastery.
📍R. Das Oliveiras 43, Porto
Vale Formoso Cinema-Theatre
This movie theater opened in the late 1940s and quickly became a reference in the city. However, it couldn’t withstand the crisis and closed down in the 90s.
📍Rua São Dinis, Porto
These are some of the main cinemas in Porto, but not all. Also well-known and with a history were Cinema Júlio Deniz, Cine-Foz, Cinema do Terço, an open-air cinema in Marquês, or Estúdio Foco.