Cine Ópera: the story of the elegant venue that closed its doors after riots at a rock concert

In the Mexico City there are many buildings that, despite the fact that they are several decades old, and even centuries having been built, They still shine like the first time they were shown to the public. Clear example of these are The national palace, the residence in which you currently live President of Mexico, Andrés Manuel López Obrador (AMLO), which has its origins shortly after the Conquest of Mexico, which culminated on August 13, 1521, after the capture of the Cuauhtemocthe last mexica emperor.

Other emblematic buildings that are in Mexico City, and that have remained standing despite the passing of the years, is the Metropolitan Cathedral, the Palace of Fine Arts, the Monument to the Revolution and the Mining Palace. However, there are other enclosures that were also built several decades ago, but they did not have the same luck as the previous ones and today they look completely abandoned.

Such is the case of cinema operaa majestic building located a few steps from the Ribera de San Cosmeon the street Serapio Rendonin the colony San Rafael. It is easy to recognize the building, because in addition to the fact that its name can still be read on the façade, you can also see two impressive female sculptures that carry the theatrical masks of tragedy and comedy.

This architectural enclosure was planned and built after the success of the era of Gold in Mexico. Félix Nuncio and Manuel Fontal were in charge of laying the foundations of the cinema. Its main objective was that the Cine Ópera will represent art decóso with balconies, frames, precious lamps, and sublime stairs, this was possible.

During its inauguration, the night of the March 11, 1949, attendees felt on another planet. Shocked by the elegance that permeated every corner of the impressive building, they enjoyed the film A family of so many from the director Alexander Galindo.

As the days passed, the inhabitants of the capital They kept talking about the movies It was the topic of conversation for all the residents of the area, and even from further afield. His popularity increased to such a degree that he stood for 44 years, becoming one of the most iconic and visited places in the capital.

However, the earthquake that woke up the Mexico City on September 19, 1985, ended with the splendor it had had for many years. And it is that after the 8.1 magnitude earthquake that fateful morning, the Opera Cinema suffered severe damagebetween these, the huge screen came down.

The cracks that remained in the structure of the building caused the place to lose the popularity and splendor that characterized it, and it was closed. However, eight years later, in 1993, it reopened its doors to the public, no longer as a cinema, but as a space for concerts to take place.

Some big name bands like The Heroes of Silence and Love&Rockets stepped onto the stage Opera Cinema. But in 1998, another event would cause, once again, will close its doors to the public, this time definitively, at least until today.

Was the October 12, 1998 when the british band bauhausoffered a concert that had been massively announced in the Opera Cinema. On the one hand, with a full house, some young people fulfilled their dream of seeing one of their favorite bands. However, outside of the place, many other fans of the group suffered, as heavy rain had begun and there were no more tickets to enter the venue, which aroused their anger.

They began demanding to be allowed into the venue, causing the situation to spiral out of control. The young people began to plan a “door slam”, that is, force their way into the place to see the British band. Between shoves, blows and lack of control, the young people managed to enter the place and see the band, however, due to this fact, the venue returned to close its doors and passed into the hands of the National Institute of Fine Arts (INBA).

The reopening of the Cine Ópera has been managed on several occasions, however, the splendor and elegance that it once had is still overshadowed, as it looks abandoned and neglected.

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