Abu Dhabi’s first indoor cinema will sooon shut its doors...

The National
  • Abu Dhabi’s first indoor cinema will sooon shut its doors and switch off the pink and blue neon lights that have brightened Electra street for decades. Mona Al Marzooqi / The National
    Abu Dhabi’s first indoor cinema will sooon shut its doors and switch off the pink and blue neon lights that have brightened Electra street for decades. Mona Al Marzooqi / The National
  • El Dorado, Indian movie house, named for a Beirut theatre, was a place for all and would have celebrated its 47th anniversary this week. Mona Al Marzooqi / The National
    El Dorado, Indian movie house, named for a Beirut theatre, was a place for all and would have celebrated its 47th anniversary this week. Mona Al Marzooqi / The National
  • Freddy Lama outside El Dorado Cinema. Chris Whiteoak / The National
    Freddy Lama outside El Dorado Cinema. Chris Whiteoak / The National
  • The men who built it can still remember when it opened its doors to the public for the first time on November 22, 1970. Mona Al Marzooqi / The National
    The men who built it can still remember when it opened its doors to the public for the first time on November 22, 1970. Mona Al Marzooqi / The National
  • The city’s engineers, doctors and lawyers had all come to share that moment in Abu Dhabi’s history, dressed in their finery to watch Patton, the 1970 Academy Award winning film about the American World War Two General.
    The city’s engineers, doctors and lawyers had all come to share that moment in Abu Dhabi’s history, dressed in their finery to watch Patton, the 1970 Academy Award winning film about the American World War Two General.
  • The original cinema was demolished after a 15-year lease expired. But was rebuilt. In its second incarnation, El Dorado found new popularity with Bollywood films that played alongside English and Arabic billings.
    The original cinema was demolished after a 15-year lease expired. But was rebuilt. In its second incarnation, El Dorado found new popularity with Bollywood films that played alongside English and Arabic billings.
  • By 2000, cineplexes had opened across the country and El Dorado switched to Malayalam and Tamil movies. Chris Whiteoak / The National
    By 2000, cineplexes had opened across the country and El Dorado switched to Malayalam and Tamil movies. Chris Whiteoak / The National