After 108 years, the film theater at Sendlinger Tor is about to end.
The reason is a dispute over the lease of the cinema.
Meanwhile, thousands of people in Munich support a petition to save the cinema.
Munich - The curtain stays closed, the screen stays black: In the past few months you could only watch films on TV, but the cinemas were not allowed to open - and fear for their existence in the pandemic.
Some have already had to close, but the film theater at Sendlinger Tor * is combative and has now started a petition.
More than 10,000 people from Munich have signed to save the cinema.
In addition, celebrities and politicians support the fight for the cinema, which Horst Seehofer described as "unique and unique".
"For me, the cinema at Sendlinger Tor is closely linked to Munich's cinema history," says former mayor Christian Ude * (73).
“Even as an editor, I have repeatedly attended afternoon screenings there and, over the years, have also attended a number of premieres, among others together with Joseph Vilsmaier.
It would be an unforgivable loss for the film and cinema city of Munich if this cinema were to disappear. "
Traditional cinema in Munich threatened with extinction - petition should enable rescue
This is exactly what the operators Fritz and Christoph Preßmar want to prevent.
Brother Oliver took care of the petition that he wants to submit to the city of Munich, the government of Upper Bavaria and the Bavarian state parliament.
"Above all, we want to keep the space in which so many people have experienced great feelings and wonderful memories," says Preßmar.
It is important to him: It is not only due to Corona that the cinema is now with its back to the wall.
“We have a great audience and we do well.
As for that, we are confident that we will get out of there soon. ”The problem is the lease:“ After 108 years, the Sendlinger Tor film theater is to be closed for financial reasons at the instigation of part of the lessor community. ”In the dispute over the The cinema was given notice of termination of the monthly payments.
In the meantime, the landlord community has filed for eviction.
According to Preßmar, it was "argued with a fictitious dream lease of 20,000 euros per month from an offer from 2012." But that was unrealistic and "could not be earned from a cinema at this point" even before the pandemic.
At the beginning of March there will be a civil law negotiation at the Regional Court of Munich I. If no agreement is foreseeable there either, a clarifying judgment is required.
"We are dependent on the decision of the regional court as to whether we can continue or not," says Preßmar.
Munich: balance of the decline - traditional cinemas are becoming fewer and fewer
But it is also clear that even a potential new tenant should not convert the cinema: it is under protection of existing buildings and monuments.
It is theoretically possible to run a shop there.
In practice, however, the optics would have to be retained and the pillars would have to be protected behind glass if necessary.
Cinemas and Corona seem an unequal battle.
The cinema at Sendlinger Tor would be another classic after the Gabriel Filmtheater on Dachauer Straße, for which the last stone would fall.
In 2015, the Eldorado on Sonnenstrasse had finally drawn its curtain, in 2012 the Atlantis on Schwanthalerstrasse went under.
A year earlier, the cult cinemas Tivoli and the Filmcasino had said goodbye, in 2001 the Stachus Kinocenter.
The theatrical release of the new "James Bond" film has been postponed again, this time by several months.
Many fans are angry - and scoff.
* tz.de is an offer from the Ippen Digital Network