The Apollo Cinema

By Iván Del Rivero

The most central areas of Mexico City were the first urban spaces in our country where cinema found fertile ground for its development. Its impact was so significant that it directly contributed to changing the urban landscape, motivating the construction of large cinemas and theaters, reflecting the value this new medium acquired for the city's residents.

One of those iconic spaces was the Cine Apolo , located in the Guerrero neighborhood, at 168 Santa María La Redonda Avenue (now Eje Central Lázaro Cárdenas), on the corner of Degollado Street. It was very close to the tenement where Mario Moreno "Cantinflas" was born, and to the Plaza de las Tres Culturas in Tlatelolco.

The iconic Cine Apolo opened its doors in 1948 with an impressive capacity of 3,650 spectators, making it one of the largest movie theaters of its time. However, its history took a tragic turn. In 1968, it was consumed by a fire. After the devastating blaze, the building remained abandoned until it was finally demolished.

The Apolo Cinema, though it now lives only in memory, witnessed a golden age of Mexican cinema. Its history is also the story of a city in transformation and a time when cinema was not only watched, but experienced.