Beyond the blockbuster: Capitol Theatre takes its place as Singapore’s last picture palace

SINGAPORE – Can going to the cinema be an elevated experience? Mr Andras Biro, general manager of The Capitol Kempinski Hotel Singapore, thinks so.

He wants patrons who visit Capitol Theatre – just shy of a century in age – to know they are stepping into history.

Singapore’s last standalone picture palace will open its doors for regular screenings from Feb 22 and Mr Biro is excited for a new generation to sense its architectural grandeur.

“You can go to cinemas with state-of-the-art equipment, but there is only one place with a zodiac mural painted on a domed ceiling,” says the 47-year-old.

When the Classics At Capitol programme kicks off, Mr Biro wants them to be transported to another era. He aims to have seat ushers, dressed in uniforms from previous decades, welcome guests. The snack bar will feature kacang putih – the nuts, beans and crackers that moviegoers ate before popcorn became the staple movie munch.

He hopes to “attract those who want a great experience in an old theatre”.

“We want to give everyone a chance to see classic films on a big screen in the last standing historic cinema.”

Classics At Capitol, the first regular film programme at the site since 2019, opens with the 1952 musical Singin’ In The Rain, starring Gene Kelly, Donald O’Connor, Debbie Reynolds and Rita Moreno.

In March comes the epic historical drama Lawrence Of Arabia (1962), starring Peter O’Toole as the British officer and spy of the title, followed in April by the third film in the programme, the thriller North By Northwest (1959), directed by Alfred Hitchcock.

Plans are in place for another slate of classic films from May, following encouraging ticket sales for the first three titles, says Mr Biro. Tickets are priced from $20.

Mr Biro is a Hungarian who moved to Singapore in 2021. Since working at The Capitol Kempinski Hotel Singapore, which operates the Capitol Theatre, locals have told him about the significance of the cinema. He has heard stories about couples having their first date there, then getting ice cream at the Magnolia Snack Bar in the same building.

Commissioned by Persian businessman Mirza Mohamed Ali Namazie and opened in 1930, the theatre – capable of seating 1,600 – was designed in the neoclassical style and was noted for being the first modern auditorium with the largest capacity in the Far East.

Shaw Organisation took ownership of Capitol after World War II. In 1987, it was acquired by the Government and designated a conservation building. It reopened in May 2015, after four years of renovation, as a multifunctional space that can host concerts, weddings and conventions. Golden Village held seasonal film programmes there under the GV@Capitol banner from November 2015 to April 2019.

Mr Biro is aware there are other cinemas in the area. Golden Village Funan is down the street and other nearby cinemas include GV Suntec City and GV Bugis+.

“We are in a niche of our own – we are going in a totally different direction and have our own business model,” he says.

It would not make financial sense for Capitol to go head-to-head with the likes of Golden Village or Shaw Theatres, or become a hub of art-house or festival cinema like Filmhouse, he says.

Instead, the brand will be built on the idea of the rare opportunity.

“You will have only two chances to watch Singing’ In The Rain on a big screen, in a historic building. That is the plan – screen a few times, then that’s it, it’s not coming back. We have to keep it restricted. We won’t be like a normal cinema, which plays a film several times a day for a month or more,” he says.

British film writer and researcher Ben Slater, who is curating the programme for Capitol, says he selected films that made full use of the big screen, in order to “motivate people to go watch them”.

“They have to be visually lush,” adds the 52-year-old.

Mr Slater, who is also a senior lecturer at Nanyang Technological University’s School of Art, Design and Media, says the sudden closure of The Projector in 2025 came as a shock and sparked discussions, especially among younger people, about the value of alternative cinema spaces.

He adds: “They appreciated the fact that they could go to the cinema and have an experience they cannot get by watching a movie on their phone or laptop.”