For a while, it felt like all of Munich’s old cinemas were closing down. The Eldorado, open since 1971 on Sonnenstraße, closed last year. The Atlantis, also close to Stachus, closed in 2012, having opened in 1958. Specializing in sneak previews and OV movies, the cinema had a loyal fan base, which was distraught. In 2010, the charming Tivoli closed down, and in summer 2011, Filmcasino at Odeonsplatz closed its curtains for the last time.
Thankfully, when Das Neue Maxim (Landshuter Allee, Neuhausen) closed down, four young passionate cinema-goers decided to do something about it. Anne Harder, Regina Stoiber, Beate Muschler and Bernd Krause are the four friends who took it upon themselves to save the old cinema.
It’s Munich’s third oldest cinema, opening its doors in 1916 for the first time. The building survived the bombing of World War II, and reopened in 1946 as the Maxim. It closed down in 2016, but thankfully, it reopened in October – having had a complete overhaul.
The crowdfunding project raised over 20,000 € to help save Das Neue Maxim. I asked Beate Muschler, one of the four behind the cinema, as to what motivated them to save it: “We didn’t want to stand by and watch another cinema forced to close its doors. Moreover, it would have been a real shame for a district like Neuhausen to have had no cinema whatsoever. We wanted to create a cinema for the people of Neuhausen – and with the motto “arthouse meets popcorn”, we wanted to show a real mix of films for everyone in the area – kids’ movies, films in OV (OV movies are shown on Wednesdays), documentaries and so on. The basis for this is arthouse, with movies that change weekly. There’s also a bar, and that’s not just for cinema-goers – we want to be a part of Neuhausen’s community, and love it when people pop by for a drink.”
The team has no direct experience in running a cinema, but this didn’t put them off. Beate explains: “Anne Harder has experience in this field of work. She’s worked on the NaturVision film festival in Ludwigsburg. And Bernd Krause worked in the AKF Kino in Karlsruhe as a student. Regina and I don’t have any experience whatsoever, but we both love cinema”. And that shows – above all, Das Neue Maxim oozes a love and a passion for cinema. You can sense the passion behind it.
If you want to support Das Neue Maxim, the best thing you can do is to go watch a film there. “Even in summer, when the sun’s shining”, Beate adds with a smile.
The program is available here – do follow the cinema on Facebook too, so you can stay up-to-date with special events, such as their recent NOMA evening – Neuhausen restaurant Broeding prepared some food for guests to enjoy with a glass of wine ahead of the showing of the documentary NOMA – Behind the Scenes.
Tickets cost 9.50 € per person (8.50 € concessions, 7 € on Tuesdays) and the cinema’s open 30 minutes prior to the movie’s begin.
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