Khudozhestvenny Cinema

For more than a hundred years, the Khudozhestvenny Cinema has operated on Arbatskaya Square — the oldest cinema in Moscow and one of the oldest working cinemas in the world. The building was constructed specifically for film screenings rather than converted for that purpose, which was a rarity in pre-revolutionary Moscow. Over more than a century of its existence, the hall has weathered reconstructions, war, and lengthy restorations, yet it has never stopped showing films.

The cinema’s first building was designed in 1909 by architect Nikolai Blagoveshchensky, commissioned by the entrepreneur Robert Brocks — in official documents the establishment was even called the “Brocks Cinematograph,” though the public knew it as the “Khudozhestvenny Electro-Theatre.” The hall seated about four hundred spectators, and a glowing fountain operated in the lobby. The first screening took place on 11 November 1909, when audiences were shown the French drama “Georgette.”

A few years later, the film magnate Alexander Khanzhonkov acquired the establishment, and in 1912–1913 the building was rebuilt by architect Fyodor Shekhtel, who brought the façade closer to the strict forms of neoclassicism. The hall’s capacity grew to nine hundred seats, steam heating, boxes, and balconies appeared, and an iron-clad booth was installed on the roof for storing flammable celluloid film. In terms of seating capacity, the cinema surpassed many of Moscow’s drama theatres of the time.

After the revolution the cinema was nationalized and turned into the main demonstration venue of Goskino. In 1926 a mock-up of a battleship was mounted on the façade to advertise Sergei Eisenstein’s film. In 1931 sound equipment was installed here and “The Road to Life” was shown — the first Soviet sound film — which required closing the former orchestra pit. During the Great Patriotic War the building suffered bomb damage, and in 1955 the cinema became one of the first in the country to offer widescreen format screenings.

A large-scale restoration, discussed as necessary since 2010, dragged on for almost a decade: work began only in 2014 and repeatedly stalled due to contractors’ lack of funds. In 2016 the building was leased to businessman Alexander Mamut’s company Pioneer, and the restoration was finally completed only in December 2020. Craftsmen restored the mascarons and bas-reliefs lost during the Soviet era, returning the façade to its 1913 appearance.

The cinema reopened on 9 April 2021 with three halls seating around eight hundred people in total, equipped with modern digital and 3D technology. The programme now includes documentaries, arthouse and festival screenings, lectures, and meetings with directors. Today the Khudozhestvenny remains not merely a historic landmark of Arbatskaya Square but an active cultural venue, linking more than a century of Moscow cinema history with today’s audiences.