The earliest demonstrations of cinema in Bucharest were offered for free to indifferent passers-by in the window of the French-language newspaper L’Indépendance Roumaine. Shortly afterward, the same films were projected outdoors, onto the façade of the Török House in the National Theatre Square. Amid illuminated advertisements, the first short films by the Lumière brothers were interspersed, as described by Constantin Beldie in his book Caleidoscopul unei jumătăți de veac în București. These events took place at the end of May 1896.

The beginnings of cinema in Bucharest

In the Universul newspaper of July 6, 1896, under the Spectacles section, the following announcement appeared:

“Every morning from 10 to 12 and every afternoon from 4 to 10, screenings are held at the Hugo Theatre with the ‘Cinematograph’ of Messrs. Auguste and Louise Lumière from Lyon. Entrance 1 leu.” This meant eight hours of daily projections of one-minute films.

These advertisements promoting the Lumière shows at the Hugo Theatre continued throughout the entire summer. At the end of August, the screenings were resumed in the L’Indépendance Roumaine hall, with an evening schedule from 8 to 11. Ticket prices were 1 leu per adult and 50 bani per child.

After two years of continuous projection, public interest began to fade. On March 16, 1898, L’Indépendance Roumaine published the announcement marking the end of the experiment:
“For sale: a Lumière cinematograph with 12 views, six from the country and six from abroad, equipped for taking new pictures.”

A period of about four years followed during which no other film screenings were recorded in the theaters of Bucharest. During this time, cinema appears to have survived mainly in fairgrounds or in the intermissions of circus performances, often placed between a Greco-Roman wrestling match and a number featuring trained horses.

The first film entrepreneurs in Bucharest

The first entrepreneurs active in the film industry—those whose names appear in documents—were Mr. Oser, the “demonstrator” Kuperman, and the “distinguished electrician A.C. Bottez.”

In 1902, the Sidoli Circus Hall, located in Piața Brâncoveanu on Calea Victoriei, on the very spot where the Postal Palace would later be built, today housing The National Museum of Romanian History, was rented by the Oser Cinematograph Company and converted into a hall for film projection.

As film began to attract increasingly large audiences, improvised screening spaces multiplied, and soon afterward, proper cinema halls began to appear.

In 1905, the first permanent movie theater in Bucharest was officially mentioned in a program: Cinematograful Oser, located above the Eforie Theatre Hall on Elisabeta Boulevard. Here, “spicy films intended only for gentlemen and ladies” were shown.

The same cinematographic company also presented films in the Cinema Edison hall, located on Doamnei Street, at the corner with Academiei Street, on the site where the Blanduziei Garden would later stand.

At the time, Oser faced competition from the French company Pathé Frères, which operated two cinema halls: one on Lipscani Street, Pathé Palace Cinema (named after Charles Pathé, the French film distributor), and another in the Eforie Palace, on Elisabeta Boulevard.

Cinema and urban transformation around the future Postal Palace

At the beginning of the 20th century, Bucharest was undergoing rapid modernization, and entertainment culture evolved accordingly. The area around Calea Victoriei, where the Sidoli Circus once stood, would soon become the site of one of the most imposing public buildings in the city, the Postal Palace.

What had been a temporary space for Oser’s film screenings transformed into the heart of Romania’s administrative infrastructure, while cinema continued to spread into more stable and professionally equipped venues.

The emergence of fixed cinema halls marked the end of improvised film shows in circus tents and fairgrounds. With permanent cinemas like Cinematograful Oser, Cinema Edison, and the Pathé Frères halls, Bucharest aligned itself with major European capitals where cinema was already becoming a defining aspect of modern urban culture.

Romania’s early fascination with motion pictures

The Lumière screenings triggered fascination and curiosity among Bucharest residents. For many viewers, seeing moving images projected on a screen was an unprecedented experience, something magical, bordering on the impossible.

The early films shown in Bucharest were the same as those exhibited in Paris, Lyon, or London: scenes of workers leaving a factory, a train arriving at a station, children playing in a garden, a gardener sprayed by a hose.

These simple yet captivating vignettes introduced Romanians to a new form of storytelling, unlike theater or illustrated newspapers. Even though the films lasted barely a minute, audiences queued to experience the novelty of moving images.

However, the initial excitement diminished after two years. Films were too short, too few in number, and the technological limits of the time allowed little variation. The result was a temporary decline in public interest, until permanent cinema halls with more structured programming reignited enthusiasm in the early 20th century.

The rise of cinema culture in Bucharest

By 1905, Bucharest entered a new phase of cinematic development. Permanent venues enabled more regular programming, better equipment, and longer shows.
 The presence of multiple competing companies, Oser and Pathé Frères, created a dynamic environment where variety, quality, and novelty were essential.

Cinema halls soon became important social spaces, attracting both ordinary citizens and members of the bourgeoisie. The atmosphere of these early cinemas, often richly decorated and illuminated by the latest electrical technologies, contributed to their appeal.

Moreover, the emergence of permanent theaters marked an important cultural shift. Film was no longer a curiosity shown between circus acts. It became a distinct art form—an event worth dressing up for and attending in a dedicated space.

Legacy and cultural significance

The history of Cinema Oser and the establishments that followed reflects more than the evolution of a new entertainment medium. It illustrates the rapid westernization of Bucharest and the cultural appetite of its inhabitants at the turn of the century.

From Lumière projections in newspaper windows to permanent halls competing for audiences, cinema became a symbol of modernity. The locations associated with early film screenings, Calea Victoriei, the future site of the Postal Palace, Lipscani Street, and Elisabeta Boulevard, are now historic urban landmarks.

These spaces remind us of how cinema helped shape the cultural identity of Romania during a time of profound transformation.

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