In a statement, First Pick, the company that will be managing the theatre, said “Cinema Villa presents itself as a new proposal of cinema with a regular and consistent activity and a more challenging programme.”
The cinema’s line-up will include “big titles from current cinema (relevant movies, giant productions that foster and help to build culture)”, but also “an alternative circuit that covers not only genres that are under-explored by mainstream industries, but also other languages, other cultures, and up-and-coming producers from all over the globe.”
Movies will be shown from 2pm to 10pm seven days a week.”
The rooms were closed in February 2013 along with other theatres in Lisbon, Cascais, Barreiro and Setúbal that were under the management of company Socorama Cinemas SA, after the electricity was cut off due to a lack of payment.
Socorama, which ran more than 100 cinemas, filed for bankruptcy claiming it owed over €12 million to suppliers, banks and workers.
In January that year the company announced the closure of almost half of their 106 theatres, leading to the laying off of 75 employees.