Cinéma Alhambra
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Cinéma Alhambra
2 Rue Jean Jaurès - 62100 CALAIS
The only historic cinema in the city centre
In the heart of Calais, the Alhambra cinema offers a program of films from around the world, for adults and children alike. Behind its unassuming facade lies the last vestige of a century-old cinema, the sole survivor of the historic cinemas in the city center.
A tavern inspired by the Alhambra of Granada
The cinema was inaugurated in 1920 under the name "La Taverne de l'Alhambra". Designed by the architect Renardier, the building adopted an atypical oriental style in the Calais landscape, inspired by the Alhambra of Granada: a flat roof adorned with fortress-style crenellations, and a tower of the same style at the corner of Boulevard Jacquard and Rue Jean-Jaurès.
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©Calais Chamber of Commerce Collection From requisition to reconstruction
Requisitioned by the German army during the Second World War, the Alhambra emerged damaged. Its façade was redesigned in 1951 by the architect Roger Poyé, who then better integrated it into the surrounding Calais landscape. The building has thus survived the decades, and today remains the last historic cinema in Calais city centre still in operation.
From the Arcades to the renewal of the Alhambra
In the 1980s, the need to diversify programming led large cinemas to split into multiple screens. The Alhambra then changed its name in 1992 to "Les Arcades." But the rise of home video rentals eventually spelled the end for city-center cinemas, and the theater closed its doors.
Five years later, in 2005, a team of enthusiasts relaunched the venue under its original name, with an art-house focus. "We're a bit crazy," the two new owners declared, fully aware of the unconventional gamble involved in reopening a cinema in the city center. The grand opening took place on August 23, 2005, in the presence of Jack Lang, with a preview screening of the film 'When the Sea Rises'. Twenty years later, on August 23, 2025, the Alhambra celebrated this anniversary, remaining true to its commitment to its audience.
