The Colosseum, Oslo, Norway | Read more at |
| Vintage flyer text by: Oslo Kinematografer (Late 1960s and 1998 vintage). | Issue 46 - September 1996 |
 Torkell, Jan, Peter, Willem and Thomas outside the Colosseum. Image by Thomas HauerslevColosseum. The Beautiful Prestige Cinema in Oslo The Colosseum opened its doors to the public for the first time on January 14th 1928. This cinema, built in Norway's capital, was not only the largest in Scandinavia but the most up-to-date as well. Oslo could rightly be proud of the striking dome rising up between Frognerparken and Majorstua under which an audience of 2100 could be seated. D. F. Olsen was the builder responsible for the actual construction of the city's new super-cinema, and the architects were G. Iversen and Jacob Hanssen. • Go to On the Trail of "Windjammer" - A Visit to Oslo • Go to gallery On the Trail of "Windjammer" - A Visit to Oslo It was a private company that owned the Colosseum originally but the shares were transferred to the City of Oslo in 1929. Since 1948 the Colosseum has been owned as well as run by The Municipal Cinema Enterprise of the City of Oslo. After the war the cinema was redecorated and modernized; it became the first Norwegian cinema to have CinemaScope installed in 1954. In 1958 the new Cinemiracle system was introduced to audiences here. The first 70mm film to be screened in Norway was shown in the Colosseum in 1960 and the cinema was once again modernized for this occasion. | More in 70mm reading: |
 The majestic 1200 seat Colosseum in Oslo, fall 1995. Image by Thomas HauerslevThe Colosseum burns down On February 15th 1963 just before the scheduled première of the “Mutiny on the Bounty”, the Colosseum burst into flames. The fire began as a spurt of flame caught the top of the curtain and within a few minutes large areas of the dome had been set alight. In next to no time the Colosseum had become a smoky inferno, and the dome came near to exploding before finally collapsing, completing the damage inside. The Colosseum is rebuilt The Municipal Cinema Enterprise of Oslo and the Oslo City Council moved quickly: only a few weeks after the catastrophe it was voted unanimously to rebuild the Colosseum in its original form. Some technical and structural alterations had to be made in order to keep up with the latest development and the growing demand for an up-to-date film theatre. The reconstructions proved to be difficult work but the contractors managed to complete the job by September 1964. The architect this time was Sverre Fehn and the building contractors Kr. Stensrud & Søn. | |
 The majestic 1200 seat Colosseum in Oslo, fall 1995. Image by Thomas HauerslevThe new Colosseum It was hoped that in rebuilding the Colosseum as you see it to-day, the cinema would be compatible with the imposing office-blocks in the vicinity. The dome has approximately the same size as those of the Pantheon in Paris and St. Peter's in Rome. Building a new projection booth has now made it possible for the audience to walk completely around the auditorium through airy promenades past a foyer-restaurant, cloakrooms and a cozy first class restaurant and grill with a beautiful open air-restaurant in summer. In the foyer you will find various pieces of modern art, by Magdalena Abakanowicz, Edvin Öhrström, Georges Braque etc. The colours in the auditorium are the classical theatrical red, white and gold. Cinema managers from abroad have described the Colosseum as one of the most attractive and impressive film theatres in Europe. It always has been and still is Oslo's show cinema where the box-office giants are put on. A number of the biggest successes in the history of filmmaking have been shown here the American films "Windjammer" and the “Sound of music” hold the box-office record at the moment. | |
 The majestic Colosseum in Oslo. The screen is 22,35 metres along the curve. It is 20,2 metres across, and 3,5 metres deep. That size makes it the largest screen in Northern Europe (1995). Image by Thomas HauerslevSome technical details The Colosseum seats 1158 with plenty of legroom between the rows. Its height inside from floor to ceiling is 105 feet. The dome is illuminated by 28 spotlights, each taking a 1000-watt tungsten halogen lamp. The modern projection equipment Philips DP70 projects both 35 and 70mm films, and is fitted with Xenon lamps up to 175 amps. The screen is 30 feet high and 90 feet wide. Because of the auditorium's unusual shape and the large dome, special electronic sound equipment has been installed in order to distribute the sound evenly throughout the auditorium. Each of the three loudspeakers lowered from the ceiling emits the sound from the film with a delay of only a few milliseconds. By doing this we can guarantee that the section of the audience near the back of the auditorium has the same impression of sound as those towards the front. Colosseum is the first film-theatre ever to use this method of sound distribution although the system is not unknown to concert hall managers and was first tried out in La Scala opera house in Milan. | |
Reopening Boxing Day | |
 Three DP70s at Colosseum in Oslo, fall 1995. Image by Thomas HauerslevHistorical sound from the world's best sound system. Watching movies with 1,000 others in the main screen at the Colosseum is something special. Perhaps that is why cinema audiences have come from far and wide to experience the atmosphere and historical buzz of the film cathedral over the years. The dome houses 70 years of film and cultural history, and on Boxing Day the Colosseum reopens for the third time. Much is new, but just as much has been retained and restored. The biggest news is perhaps that the Colosseum can now boast of being the world's largest THX cinema. In short, we can say that THX is a quality seal for the best sound, picture and comfort that can be found in a cinema. In addition, common areas and toilets have been renovated and renewed. How has the Colosseum become the world's largest THX cinema? Oslo Cinematographers have invested large sums of money in top-quality sound and picture equipment. This alone is not enough to receive THX approval. For example, there are high demands on comfort. The Colosseum has improved legroom by 15 cm and the line of sight to the screen has been optimized. Acoustics are also important. Optimal film sound should have as little reverberation as possible, and to remove most of the reverberation, the ceiling has been lowered two meters and a separate wall has been built behind the screen. This wall has special openings for the speakers. The biggest challenge has probably been the soundproofing. Sound from ventilation systems, other cinemas and other noise is isolated. The only sound heard is that from the sound system and the historical rush, of course. | |
 One of Colosseums DP70s, fall 1995. Image by Thomas HauerslevColosseum opens with Norwegian premiere at major film Hollywood's biggest investment in the film front this winter will have its premiere at the Colosseum. Rumor has it that "The Prince of Egypt" will surpass Bond himself when it comes to marketing. "The Prince of Egypt" is a magnificent animated film from Steven Spielberg's company Dreamworks. No expense has been spared here. It is perhaps not so strange that Spielberg&Co aims to take on Disney with this film. In Oslo, the film will only be shown at the Colosseum. Welcome to a great cinema experience from Boxing Day [26.12.1998, ed]! | |
 Colosseum switch room, fall 1995. Image by Thomas Hauerslev | |
 Redundant DP70 in Colosseums switch room, fall 1995. Image by Thomas Hauerslev | |
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