Shinjuku Joy Cinema

The Shinjuku Chikyuza Theatre opened its doors during the Kabukicho area’s development in December 1947 by owner Hayashi Ibun, who would later established the Keitsu Enterprise Company Limited in May 1948. The Chikyuza first screening foreign films from around the world and had its own newsreel series called “Chikyu-za News”. During its beginning, the development for the area wasn’t quick enough at start, and the Chikyu-za was the first movie theater to officially open in Kabukicho, and it was the only one for several years before other theaters began to appear in the area.

Shortly after the Tokyu Corporation launched their own Tokyo Skating Rink in 1951, owner Toa Kogyo opened the Shinjuku Odeon-za Theatre that November. This was followed by the nearby (and second) Shinjuku Theatre on January 2, 1953, and the Shinjuku Meigaza (or the Shinjuku Masterpiece Theater) in March 1956 by both its constructor Nakati Industries and its operator Keito Enterprises.

In June 1958, Keito established their own Chikyu Kaikan Company, and in December of that same year, the Chikyu Kaikan was built on the site of the former Chikyuza. It was a twin-screener, with the Shinjukuza screening Japanese films in the basement, and Shinjuku Chikyuza screening foreign films on the fourth floor. It also had a concert hall on the second floor, and the Moulin Rouge cabaret on the seventh floor.

In 1971, the Shinjuku Joypack Building (now the Humax Pavilion Shinjuku Kabukicho) was built on the site of the closed Shinjuku Theatre, which closed the previous year in 1970, and was completely that October as a comprehensive leisure facility with a bowling alley known as Shinjuku Copa Bowl, a game center, Playland Carnival, and a disco, but unfortunately it was theater-less for its first 13 years of operation. The Joypack (now Humax) chain would later have its own twin-screener at that exact location called the Kabukicho Cinema 1 and 2 on the second floor of the building, opened in 1984. These later became Shinjuku Joycinema 3 and 4.

Shortly before the launch of the Kaubukicho Cinema’s launch, both Shinjukuza and the Shinjuku Chikyuza changed their names to Shinjuku Joy Cinema and Kabukicho Shochiku in 1983, and several years later, the Shinjuku Meigaza changed its name to Shinjuku Cine Pathos in 1987. In July of the same year, Keitsu changed its name to Humax, and the group changed its name to Humax Group.

In January 1992, the original Shinjuku Joy Cinema auditorium was temporarily closed, and in June of the same year, it was converted into an attraction theater that showed futuristic CG images called the “Virtual Theater”. This didn’t last long, and it closed during the Spring of 1995. And in July 1995, the names of Shinjuku Joy Cinema (Chikyu Kaikan basement, formerly Shinjukuza), Kabukicho Shochiku (Chikyu Kaikan 4th floor, formerly Chikyuza), Kabukicho Cinema 1 & 2 (Shinjuku Joypack Building), Shinjuku Cine Pathos (Nakadai Kogyo Building 1st floor, formerly Shinjuku Meigaza) were unified to Shinjuku Joy Cinema 1-5 (“1-2-3-4-5”) respectively.

Screen 1 immediately reverted to being a roadshow theater for Shochiku foreign films (as an affiliate of the Marunouchi Piccadilly 1). In November 1997, Screens 3 and 4 in the Shinjuku Joypack Building were closed, and Screen 5 in the Nakadai Industrial Building became Screen 3, and was renamed Shinjuku Joy Cinema 3. Screen 2 received renovation on June 13, 1998, with the entrance moved from the previous flat structure on the fourth floor to the third floor, creating a stadium structure.

On May 31, 2009, the remaining three screens all closed, officially closing for the final time, and the Humax Group completely withdrew from movie exhibitions in Kabukicho. The site was later renovated into “Humax Pavilion Shinjuku Annex” (formerly Chikyu Kaikan) in January 2011, and the former site of Screen 1 (400 seats) became the live music venue “Shinjuku BLAZE”. Screen 2 (305 seats) became the lower floors of “Hotel Wing International Shinjuku”, Screens 3 (144 seats) and 4 (132 seats) becoming the second floor of “Humax Pavilion Shinjuku Kabukicho” and Manga Cafe Geragera Shinjuku Koma Theater Front Store", and Screen 5 (296 seats) becoming “Tokyo Mystery Circus”.

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