The gorgeous American Cosmograph has been a cinematic institution in downtown Toulouse since 1907, when the building hosted its first cinema. The last renovations and redesign took place in 1993, when it was called Utopia Toulouse. The new owner, Jérémy Breta, bought the Utopia in 2016 and decided that it was time to upgrade it to ‘reclaim the space.’
A full renovation was envisioned, upgrading both the audio-visual presentation as well as the aesthetics of the cinema, with accessibility at the heart of the project. Given the age of the building, accessibility was only achievable for the ground floor with a ramp. The facade of the cinema was also modified, so that instead of posters attached to doors, they are now in frames located high up.
CinemaNext was hired to upgrade the screen fabric and the sound system, with three micro-perf screens, a Dolby CP950 processor, Crown amplifiers and MAG Audio speakers and sub-woofer. In addition, the cinema also took the opportunity to replace carpeting, the curtains, the seats and screen fabrics, while the heating, air conditioning and electrical systems were also upgraded. The total cost of the project was around one million euros.
There was also a thematic make-over for the design of the cinemas, with each of the three auditoriums getting its own colour and feel, which is also true for the Nautilus-themed lobby. “We wanted to go for a cabinet-of-curiosity look, with a metallic, Jules Verne feel. This led us to the aquatic theme, hence the blue reflections on the entrance floor," says owner Jérémy Breta, in an article by le Parisien.
A re-opening ceremony was held on 5 September and was followed up by the Fifigrot, the international Grolandais film festival in Toulouse, allowing even more audiences to admire the re-born American Cosmograph.
American Cosmograph, Toulouse