The Atlas Cinema ( tr, Atlas Sineması) is a movie theatre situated at İstiklal Avenue in the Beyoğlu district of Istanbul, Turkey. It opened in 1948. Between 2019 and 2021, it underwent a restoration.

Background

Agop Köçeyan (1823–1893), also known as Köçeoğlu, was a member of a Galata banker family of Armenian ethnicity. The family had made a fortune by lending loans they received with low interest, from abroad, to the Ottoman Government and to the Ottoman palace at high interest. He was one of the prominent owners of real estate in different parts of Istanbul. Following the Great Fire of

Pera Pera may refer to: Places * Pera (Beyoğlu), a district in Istanbul formerly called Pera, now called Beyoğlu ** Galata, a neighbourhood of Beyoğlu, often referred to as Pera in the past * Pêra (Caparica), a Portuguese locality in the district of ...

in 1870, he purchased land in Galatasaray quarter, and built a winter residence in 1877. It was designed in Renaissance Revival architectural style resembling Villa Farnese in Italy; the building consisted of three blocks. The residence block has four stories and the building's block featuring a passage has three stories. The large space in the ground floor was used as a stable for the worthy horses of Köçeyan. During the reign of

Ottoman Sultan The sultans of the Ottoman Empire ( tr, Osmanlı padişahları), who were all members of the Ottoman dynasty (House of Osman), ruled over the transcontinental empire from its perceived inception in 1299 to its dissolution in 1922. At its hei ...

Abdul Hamid II Abdülhamid or Abdul Hamid II ( ota, عبد الحميد ثانی, Abd ül-Hamid-i Sani; tr, II. Abdülhamid; 21 September 1842 10 February 1918) was the sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 31 August 1876 to 27 April 1909, and the last sultan to ...

(), Köçeyan fell out of favor, and his finance business deteriorated. He donated the building to the Surp Hovhan Vosgeperan Armenian Catholic Church. In the 1930s, two tobacco trading brothers purchased the building. After a short time, some parts of the building became one of the most popular entertainment venues in Istanbul. Businessman Dervişzade İbrahim established a

music hall Music hall is a type of British theatrical entertainment that was popular from the early Victorian era, beginning around 1850. It faded away after 1918 as the halls rebranded their entertainment as variety. Perceptions of a distinction in Bri ...

named " Moulin Rouge" in the former horse stables. Notable singers such as Safiye Ayla and Eftalya Işılay as well as musicians from Arab countries appeared on stage in the entertainment venue, which was later renamed to "Çağlayan". In the 1940s, Lütfullah Süruri and Suzan Lütfullah, parents of theatre actress Gülriz Sururi, used a part of the building as "Halk Opereti" ("People's Operetta"), where revues and

operetta Operetta is a form of theatre and a genre of light opera. It includes spoken dialogue, songs, and dances. It is lighter than opera in terms of its music, orchestral size, length of the work, and at face value, subject matter. Apart from its s ...

s were staged. In 1945, entertainment businessman Muhittin Öztuna restored the building. It turned into a cinema with 1,800 seats (1,660 floor and balcony seats, 140 seats in 35 boxes), and finally opened under the name "Atlas" on 19 February 1948. It became one of the biggest cinemas in

Beyoğlu Beyoğlu (, ota, بك‌اوغلی, script=Arab) is a district on the European side of İstanbul, Turkey, separated from the old city (historic peninsula of Constantinople) by the Golden Horn. It was known as the region of Pera (Πέρα, meani ...

. In the big complex building, further premises opened as a bar and restaurant "Kulis" (" Green room") in 1948 and a pocket theatre "Küçük Sahne Tiyatrosu" ("Small Stage Theatre") in 1951. In 1985, Atlas Cinema was transferred to the Ministry of Treasury and Finance. Since then, it has been operated by İrfan Atasoy and film director and producer Türker İnanoğlu. Atlas Cinema hosted selected films during the annual International Istanbul Film Festival. The venue was temporarily shut down at the end of March 2020 due to COVID-19 pandemic in Turkey.

After restoration

Between 2019 and 2021, the cinema building was restored by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism. Access to the cinema is through a passage, which is one of the renowned meeting points of Istiklal Avenue. The interior decorations such as the frames with gold leaf on the plaster on the walls and the ceiling ornaments hand-drawn by a French artist were renovated in accordance with the original. The cinema has three separate halls for 500, 130 and 85 cinemagoer. The main hall was designed as an amphitheatre. The balcony section was rebuilt as boxes for 2, 4, 6 and 8 spectators with recliners. The former stage theater building has been turned into "İstanbul Sinema Müzesi" ("Istanbul Cinema Museum").

References

{{commons category, Atlas Sineması Cinemas in Turkey Renaissance Revival architecture 1948 establishments in Turkey Entertainment venues in Istanbul Beyoğlu