The cinemas that I miss

By History of Burma 

In this article, we are going to talk about the cinemas of Yangon in the past that doesn’t exist anymore. The cinemas in Yangon were once record setters. Fraser Street (now Anawrahta Road) was dubbed the cinema street due to it being filled with film theaters. Sule Pagoda Road also had its fair share of famous cinemas. Before the independence, The Palladium and Globe Cinema was situated at now Shangari-La Hotel in Myanmar. The cinema was demolished in 1988. 

Cathay Cinema, which was not so popular at the time, was situated on then Canal street (now Shwe Taung Dan street) and its building still exists today at the northwest corner of Shwe Taung Dan street and Anawrahta Road. Cathy Cinema was home to Cathay Group from Singapore in Myanmar. The building architecture is estimated to be from 1929. Once a cinema, then a theater, Cathay Cinema faded away as time passed. Another cinema, on the other hand, lost both its name and building. Popular in 1961, Ritz Cinema, situated between Sule Pagoda Road and Fraser street, was captivating to many audience. 

Then known as New Excelsior Cinema, now popular as Waziya, the cinema in the picutre was built in 1920 and is the oldest cinema in Yangon. The picture was taken in 1950 and film showing at the time was ‘Bathing Beauty’, a US-made Film in 1944. More cinemas came out and faded away as time goes by. Some buildings were they used to be are old or out of existence. The old buildings should be a part of our cultural heritage and preservative measures should be taken.