On the Mediterranean coast between Marseille and Toulon stands the theatre where the Lumière films met a paying public in 1895 — regarded as the oldest cinema in the world, and still showing films.
At a glance
The Eden Théâtre in La Ciotat is regarded as the oldest cinema in the world; Guinness World Records lists it as the oldest purpose-built cinema in operation. In 1895 it was the site of the first public showing of a film here — famously L’Arrivée d’un train en gare de La Ciotat by the Lumière brothers, though the first film actually shown at the Eden was Barque sortant du port. Today it is run as the cinematographic establishment of the Ville de La Ciotat, managed by the association Les Lumières de l’Eden.
Key facts
- Claim: regarded as the world’s oldest cinema; Guinness World Records’ “oldest purpose-built cinema in operation”
- Lumière connection: public film showings in 1895, including L’Arrivée d’un train en gare de La Ciotat
- Closed: 1995, after years of financial trouble
- Reopened: 2013, after extensive refurbishment
- Run by: the association Les Lumières de l’Eden, for the Ville de La Ciotat
History
In its early decades the Eden was as much a stage as a screen: vaudeville, concerts and plays shared the hall with boxing and wrestling, and the tradition of live performance continued after it became a cinema — Édith Piaf and Yves Montand both appeared here. The late twentieth century was harder: financial troubles closed the cinema in 1995, and it took an extensive refurbishment to bring it back to life in 2013. Since then the Eden has returned to the national stage — in 2025 La Poste issued a postage stamp bearing its image, and in 2026 Time Out ranked it among the world’s best cinemas.
Seeing it
The Eden works as a living cinema, not a museum: the programme runs throughout the year, from current releases to festival events, and the building is best experienced the way it was built to be — from a seat.
Sources
- Eden Theatre, La Ciotat — Wikipedia (EN), read 26 August 2026
- Eden Théâtre — official site (Ville de La Ciotat / Les Lumières de l’Eden), read 26 August 2026
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