The final curtain fell, not with applause, but to the wrecking ball. The cinema's closure was quiet, yet the shock was felt by generations. In September 2023, Cinema Palace, a landmark considered the cultural heart of Chittagong for almost a century, was permanently shut down. On KC Dey Road, the glowing movie sign was replaced by a cold notice: "unsafe building." This simple phrase ended an era, turning 95 years of shared history into a building marked for demolition.
The loss of Cinema Palace, once owned by Abul Hossain, is more than just a movie theatre closing. It is clear proof of a wider cultural failure where history is regularly destroyed to make way for expensive commercial property. This isn't a story about the theatre becoming outdated; it's a perfect example of how urban history is quickly sold off to fund the next profitable development, trading public memory for private gain [1].
Cinema Palace started its voyage in 1928, before the country gained independence, and started as a theater hall during the last years of the British Raj. It became a proper cinema in 1943 [2], joining other early theaters like Lotus Cinema (1929) and Jubilee Cinema (1936) [3, 4]. For many years, these single-screen theaters were the center of popular culture. They were the spots for "Sunday morning movies" and a key part of community life [4].
These old halls were built to be for everyone. Unlike the simple, uniform designs of today's theaters, these cinemas were grand, with high ceilings, balconies, and huge lobbies [5]. They were designed to welcome large crowds and celebrate watching films together, making entertainment easily available to ordinary people.
The slow death of places like Cinema Palace is about more than just old technology. It shows a split in culture, where access is based on space and money. When these big, shared cultural spaces close, the communal experience is replaced by smaller, pricier, and exclusive venues. This fundamentally changes how people in the city socialize [6, 5].
The actual cause of Cinema Palace failing was the severe economic pressure on all single-screen theaters in Bangladesh. The number of traditional cinemas nationwide has crashed from over 1,000 in the 1990s to only about 70 today [6].
Owners are burdened by huge maintenance costs, and audiences have disappeared, largely because of piracy [7] and the easy availability of content on streaming platforms [8]. The theaters barely make any money, often relying only on the few major blockbusters (usually around Eid holidays) to sell out. During slower times, many halls wouldn't run a movie for a whole week, sometimes selling fewer than 100 tickets over three days [9].
To help, the central bank offered a big Tk1,000 crore low-interest loan (5% interest, eight-year repayment) for fixing up or rebuilding cinemas [10]. But owners have mostly ignored this help; only a tiny amount (Tk18 crore) was actually given out.
The loan's failure shows a major problem with the policy: the government tried to fix the symptom (old buildings) but ignored the real issue (not enough good movies to show). As one owner said, "What use is the loan to me? There are no worthwhile movies to screen" [9]. When good films aren't available to attract people, investing in the building makes no financial sense. This forces owners to look for more profitable uses for their land, turning a cultural space into things like markets or hotels [6, 9].
Modern multiplexes are quickly taking over the spaces left empty by single-screen cinemas. The recent launch of STAR Cineplex in Chittagong, which has several screens inside a shopping center, shows the new way of doing business [5]. Multiplexes win because of better technology, offering superior sound (Dolby Atmos), high-quality pictures, and a choice of several movies at once [11].
This change isn't just about technology; it's also about trust. Film producers favor multiplexes because they have clear, honest ticketing systems. This is often completely missing in traditional single-screen halls, where sales are commonly "zero transparency" [12]. Even though popular local films like Hawa and Poran show that people still want to watch local cinema, these movies do best in modern, reliable theaters that offer a standard experience [13].
The closing of Cinema Palace on valuable city land points to a major failure in Chittagong's urban planning, despite the city's long history [14]. The Chittagong Development Authority (CDA) has openly admitted that protecting the city's "cultural and historic treasures... has not been in the planning and development agenda" [15]. Historical buildings remain "unrecognized and unrecorded," which makes them easy targets for demolition [16].
The fast growth of Chittagong puts huge pressure on developers to build high-rises, which they claim is the "optimal use of land" [17]. In this environment, historic and cultural properties are simply seen as valuable plots of real estate.
Bangladesh actually has laws to protect old structures [18], but these laws are useless if the local planning body (CDA) doesn't identify and list historical sites beforehand. Even though the CDA's own plan recommended listing and protecting heritage buildings [16], nothing has been done. This neglect means that private profit—often using the "unsafe building" notice as an excuse—wins out over the public good. Choosing not to list heritage sites is essentially a political decision that allows the real estate market to wipe out the city's shared history [16].
The closed screen of Cinema Palace is a symbol of this process: the city's history is being sacrificed to fund immediate building expansion. If Chittagong wants to keep its unique culture, the focus must change. Legal experts argue for a cultural review that demands integrity and questions the source of the wealth driving this destructive development [19]. Unless the value of culture is prioritized over quick commercial gain, the port city risks becoming rich but historically empty.
References:
1. Asaduzzaman. (n.d.). Are we ignoring disturbing social trends regarding corruption? The Business Standard. Retrieved from https://www.tbsnews.net/thoughts/are-we-ignoring-disturbing-social-trends-regarding-corruption-1108546
2. https://www.google.com/search?q=Bdnews24.com. (2023, September 10). সিনেমা প্যালেস বন্ধের নির্দেশ [Order to close Cinema Palace].
3. BUET Repository. (n.d.). A contextual analysis of criteria for heritage identification and land use planning provisions in the vicinity of heritage site in Chittagong. Retrieved from http://lib.buet.ac.bd:8080/xmlui/handle/123456789/4200
4. Chittagong Development Authority. (n.d.). Structure Plan for Chittagong: Conservation of cultural and historic treasures (Extract). Retrieved from https://cda.portal.gov.bd/sites/default/files/files/cda.portal.gov.bd/page/ccf2acbf_5c42_4da2_ad99_7513913f0ff2/2023-03-28-06-44-3769fa6eb9af10c2cfa33707d038e97b.pdf
5. Chattogram District Portal. (n.d.). Chattogram, the commercial capital of Bangladesh, enjoys cultural heritage that goes back thousands of years. Retrieved from https://www.chittagong.gov.bd/en/site/page/uiwk-%E0%A6%9C%E0%A7%87%E0%A6%B2%E0%A6%BE%E0%A6%B0-%E0%A6%90%E0%A6%A4%E0%A6%BF%E0%A6%B9%E0%A7%8D%E0%A6%AF
6. Dey, A. B. (2023, July 5). Gone are the cinemas. The Daily Star.
7. Ministry of Finance. (2022). National Budget Speech FY2022-23 (English Version). Government of Bangladesh. Retrieved from https://customs.gov.bd/files/National%20Budget%20Speech%20FY2022-23%20English%20Version.pdf
8. Observer Correspondent. (n.d.). Cinema halls are closing down! The Observer. Retrieved from https://www.observerbd.com/news/545924
9. Prothom Alo. (n.d.). Blockbuster films boost box office but transparency remains an issue. Retrieved from https://en.prothomalo.com/entertainment/movies/0ui8ftegu2
10. Sikdar, S. N. (n.d.). A history of Chittagong: 1761-1947 (Vol. 2).
11. The Business Standard. (n.d.). Changing facade of cinema halls. Retrieved from https://www.tbsnews.net/features/habitat/changing-facade-cinema-halls-1122146
12. The Business Standard. (n.d.). Cinemas are dying, yet owners are not availing govt cheap loan. Why? Retrieved from https://www.tbsnews.net/splash/cinemas-dying-yet-owners-not-availing-govt-cheap-loan-why-782610
13. The Business Standard. (n.d.). Curtain falls on Monihar, an iconic hall, to make way for markets and hotels. Retrieved from https://www.tbsnews.net/splash/curtain-falls-monihar-iconic-hall-make-way-markets-and-hotels-1241046
14. The Business Standard. (n.d.). Hawa, Poran get theatre owners excited about the future of Bangladeshi cinema. Retrieved from https://www.tbsnews.net/splash/hawa-poran-get-theatre-owners-excited-about-future-bangladeshi-cinema-497214
15. The Business Standard. (n.d.). Curtain falls on Monihar, an iconic hall, to make way for markets and hotels. Retrieved from https://www.tbsnews.net/splash/curtain-falls-monihar-iconic-hall-make-way-markets-and-hotels-1241046
16. The Business Standard. (n.d.). Hawa, Poran get theatre owners excited about the future of Bangladeshi cinema. Retrieved from https://www.tbsnews.net/splash/hawa-poran-get-theatre-owners-excited-about-future-bangladeshi-cinema-497214
17. This article was revised for word choice, spelling, and collocation with the assistance of Gemini 2.5, an AI language model developed by Google LLC (2025). The tool was used solely for linguistic refinement; the author is responsible for the ideas and arguments presented. Google LLC. (2025). Gemini (Version 2.5) [Large language model]. https://ai.google
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