The Coliseum Theatre is a
cinema in
Kuala Lumpur,
Malaysia. One of the oldest cinemas in the country, it was built in 1920 by the Chua family led by
Chua Cheng Bok.
History
The
Art Deco-style building is capable of seating 900 people and also features a balcony. The famed Coliseum Café and Hotel—a favourite haunt of
William Somerset Maugham during his stay in
British Malaya
The term "British Malaya" (; ms, Tanah Melayu British) loosely describes a set of states on the Malay Peninsula and the island of Singapore that were brought under British hegemony or control between the late 18th and the mid-20th century. U ...
—are located behind the theatre, just down the road. The café closed in 2021 after 100 years in business, due to the
COVID-19 pandemic. The oldest and continuously running cinema hall in the country (save for a break during the Japanese occupation during World War II), most of the movies premiering in the building are
Indian movies
The Cinema of India consists of motion pictures produced in India, which had a large effect on world cinema since the late 20th century. Major centers of film production across the country include Mumbai, Chennai, Hyderabad, Visakhapatnam, Ko ...
. After Chua Cheng Bok's demise in 1940, his estate continued to administer the Coliseum until its acquisition in 1973 by a company owned by his nephew Dr Chua Boon Teck and his wife Mdm Khor Joo Saik.
In 2006, the Malaysian government proposed to close the theatre and turn it into a
cultural heritage
Cultural heritage is the heritage of tangible and intangible heritage assets of a group or society that is inherited from past generations. Not all heritages of past generations are "heritage"; rather, heritage is a product of selection by soci ...
centre, but relented when there was a public outcry to the scheme. The government later decided not to close the cinema. Instead, they planned to build a car park nearby.
In that year, Dr Chua Seong Siew, elder son of the late owners Dr Chua Boon Teck and Mdm Khor Joo Saik, successfully appealed for the cinema theatre to remain open, and so it continues to operate to this day.
In 2012, the cinema was owned by Lotus Five Star Cinema (M) Sdn. Bhd. and was transformed into a 2-screen Cineplex which consist of a total 474 seats. The Coliseum Theatre was rebranded as LFS Coliseum Cineplex and was officially opened to the public on November 2012. It has a thriving business showing mostly Bollywood and Tamil/Hindi movies.
Lotus Five Star Coliseum Cineplex
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Transportation
The theatre is accessible within walking distance south east of Bandaraya LRT Station
Bandaraya LRT station is an elevated rapid transit station in central Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The station is on the common route shared by the Ampang Line and Sri Petaling Line (originally known as STAR Line). The station was opened on 16 Dec ...
and Bank Negara KTM station.
See also
* List of cinemas in Malaysia
Malaysia has 169 cinemas operating throughout the country. The only states without cinemas are Perlis and Kelantan. The largest cinema operator is Golden Screen Cinemas. There are other large operators such as TGV Cinemas, MBO Cinemas, Lotus Fiv ...
References
External links
* Th
Coliseum Theatre
at Cinema Treasures.
{{Malaysian historical architectures and sites
Theatres completed in 1920
Cinemas in Malaysia
Buildings and structures in Kuala Lumpur
Art Deco architecture in Malaysia
Tourist attractions in Kuala Lumpur
British colonial architecture in Malaysia