Carib Theatre

Not to be confused with Little Carib Theatre.

Carib Theatre
Grand Old Lady of Cross Roads[1][2]
Map
LocationCross Roads, Kingston, Jamaica[1]
Coordinates17°59′33″N 76°47′19″W / 17.99250°N 76.78861°W / 17.99250; -76.78861
Owner
  • The Cinema Company of Jamaica Ltd. (1938)[8]
  • Palace Amusement Company (ca. 1939–present)[6]
TypeMovie theatre
Capacity1,800 (1972)[4]
Field size
  • 180 ft (55 m) × 84 ft (26 m)[3]
  • Ceiling: 60 ft (18 m)[3]
  • Volume: Under 1,000,000 cu ft (28,000 m3)[5]
Screens5
Construction
BuiltLate 1937–early 1938[6]
Opened13 April 1938 (1938-04-13)[7]
ClosedAfter 21 September 1996[1]
Reopened24 June 1997[2]
ArchitectJohn Pike[3]
Website
palaceamusement.com

The Carib Theatre, also known as the Carib 5, is a cinema in northern Kingston, Jamaica. Opened in 1938, it has been owned and operated by the Palace Amusement Company since ca. 1939. The Carib was the largest and highest-grossing theatre in the West Indies, and was once Jamaica's largest building. It served as a one-screen facility until a 1996 fire and 1997 renovation/conversion into a five-screen multiplex.

  1. ^ a b c Mascoll, Philip (5 October 1996). "A piece of my heart still belongs to the Carib". Toronto Star. p. L.9. Archived from the original on 1 June 2022. Retrieved 13 May 2022 – via ProQuest.
  2. ^ a b "Celebrating 100 years of cinema at its best". Jamaica Gleaner. Palace Amusement Company (1921) Limited. 22 September 2021. Archived from the original on 13 May 2022. Retrieved 13 May 2022.
  3. ^ a b c Graham, Douglas (October 1990). "The Carib" (PDF). Newton, Massachusetts: High Performance Stereo (HPS). Archived (PDF) from the original on 14 May 2022. Retrieved 14 May 2022.
  4. ^ Bakari 2018, p. 189.
  5. ^ Allen, John F. (1997). "Death of a Giant" (PDF). Newton, Massachusetts: High Performance Stereo (HPS). Archived (PDF) from the original on 29 October 2006. Retrieved 13 May 2022.
  6. ^ a b Burns, James M. (12 November 2020). "Comparing Historical Cinema Cultures: The Case of the British West Indies, 1900-1945". TMG Journal for Media History. 23 (1–2). Sound & Vision: 1–27. doi:10.18146/tmg.585. ISSN 2213-7653. S2CID 228929005.
  7. ^ "Gleaner Classics: Carib hooks movie-watchers with glamourous [sic] opening". Jamaica Gleaner. 15 April 2021 [1938-04-14]. Archived from the original on 13 May 2022. Retrieved 13 May 2022.
  8. ^ Jamaica Gleaner (3 August 2017). "Carib Theatre [1938 Flashback]". Archived from the original on 1 June 2022. Retrieved 15 May 2022 – via PressReader.