𝐑𝐞𝐱 𝐂𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐦𝐚, 𝐏𝐞𝐧𝐚𝐧𝐠 (𝟏𝟗𝟑𝟗 - 𝟐𝟎𝟎𝟎𝐬)
Opened on 23 December 1939, Rex Cinema was Penang’s first air-conditioned picture house and one of the finest in Malaya. Designed in striking Art Deco style by architect Charles Geoffrey Boutcher, the building cost 70,000 Straits Dollars and featured American-made seats, advanced RCA sound, modern lighting, and the first Colour Effects Machine in North Malaya.
Owned by Madam Teoh Aun Liew and leased to the Shaw Brothers, Rex seated 1,072 patrons—732 downstairs and 340 in the balcony, where the specially curved reinforced-concrete tiers provided uninterrupted views. The balcony also housed a bar serving drinks to first-class patrons.
The main entrance was placed along Kinta Lane to ease traffic, and backstage facilities included multiple dressing rooms with modern sanitation, making Rex suitable for both cinema screenings and stage performances.
Its opening feature was JUAREZ, starring Paul Muni and Bette Davis. During the Japanese occupation in 1941, Rex was renamed Fuji Gejijo (富士映劇場), before reopening as Rex Cinema after the war. In the following decades, it became known for English films, introducing innovations like Sensurround for Earthquake (1974) and screening major hits such as Superman (1978), Dances with Wolves (1991), and Jackie Chan’s Who Am I (1998).
Rex continued to operate until the early 2000s, later transitioning into a furniture store at the turn of the 2010s.
In October 2022, the Penang Island City Council approved its demolition to make way for a 27-storey condominium, with only the façade slated for retention—sparking outrage among heritage activists.
As of 2025, the furniture shop still occupies the building. Rex Cinema may be gone, but its historic walls endure, holding memories of a golden era—how much longer, only time will tell.
LOCATION:
Burmah Road / Lorong Kinta, Penang
5.417731398835849, 100.32857668449651
Photo credit:
Above. HT Fong (1947)
Bottom. Penang House of Music (1947)
#penang #burmahroad #kintalane
#cinema #rex
#槟城 #车水路
#戏院 #丽士
#malaysiaoldtimes
*Taken from Malaysia Old Times Facebook page