Dream Cinema
Seodaemun,
Seoul
Seodaemun,
Seoul
1 person
favorited this theater
Additional Info
Previous Names: Hwayang Theatre
Nearby Theaters
Located in Seodaemun, in northwestern central Seoul. The Hwayhang Theatre opened in 1964. It was one of the premier cinemas in Seoul, but fell out of favour when multiplexes began to open.
It was re-named Dream Cinema in 1999. In recent years, business improved when the policy of screening older films at low prices was introduced. It was theatened with closure and demolition in 2007, but as of August 2008, was still operating, as the threat of demolition has been lifted.
Contributed by
Ken Roe
Want to be emailed when a new comment is posted about this theater?
Just login to your account and subscribe to this theater.
Recent comments (view all 4 comments)
I have a number of photos to post showing this and other theaters in South Korea. There is an article about this theater in Wikipedia.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dream_Cinema
And an additional Wikipedia linked story about the projectionist here.
http://www.arirang.co.kr/News/News_View.asp?nseq=83475&code=Ne6&category=7
I am wondering if this report of the closing of what is apparently the last single screen theater in Seoul, South Korea actually refers to this theater; though the article says the name of the theater is the Seodaemun Art Hall, it also indicates that the theater was opened in 1964 and showed primarily classic older films, as the headnote also states.
Here’s a summary of the theater’s history. (Translated from an article on www.khan.co.kr)
Hwa Yang Theater (화양극장) opened in 1964 as a single-screen theater with 650 seats. It was a popular venue for Hong Kong films during the 1980s and brought both Leslie Cheung and Joey Wang for the premiere of the 1987 film A CHINESE GHOST STORY (천녀유혼 倩女幽魂). In 1998, the theater was renamed as Dream Cinema (드림시네마). In 2007, the theater nearly faced demolition but was saved as redevelopment plans got canceled. The name then changed to Seo Dae Mun Art Hall (서대문아트홀). In 2010, theater became a popular venue for senior citizens. Ticket price was less than $2 for each person and the theater brought in nearly 300-500 people each day. In 2011, the City of Seoul approved development plans to build a hotel in the place of the theater. On July 11, 2012, the theater ended it’s 48 years as the last remaining single-screen theater in Seoul with its final program — a free screening of THE BICYCLE THIEF.
Thanks for confrming my guess, academy133. Name should be changed to Seo Dae Mun (or Seodaemun) Art Hall; description and status should be changed to closed.