Fit for a King

Daktronics (Brookings, SD) partnered with Theatre Le Grand Rex in Paris to illuminate its façade. The French government deemed the art-deco theatre, built in 1932, an historical building in 1981. The original auditorium, which seats 2,750, remains Europe’s largest, single movie auditorium and has projected films for more than a million visitors for more than a half century. It now hosts live concerts and star-studded movie premieres and first runs.
Daktronics manufactured and designed two, vertical, 39 x 9-ft. displays that replaced fixed banners, previously used for promotion. The pixels are on 23mm spacing. Three custom, curved 6 x 82-ft. LED displays feature front-service access.
Every hour, a theme that relates to the current season repeats on the two vertical displays. The images include falling snow, a beach, underwater views and blooming flowers. All of the displays will also provide information concerning current or upcoming events, concerts and movies appears on all displays.
“Le Grand Rex wanted their displays to not only share information, such as show-times and dates, but also to exhibit entertaining and dynamic content to attract tourists,” said Stef Manning, Keyframe’s account manager. “The content we produced for the theatre was meant to do just that by incorporating 3-D characters that interact with and move between all of the displays. What we produced was well received, and I anticipate future content requests.”
The Grand Rex opened on December 8, 1932 with Les Trois Mousquetaires (“The Three Musketeers”). It was built for independent operator Jacques Haik, who had already operated the 5,000 seat l’Olympia music hall, and was the man who made Charlie Chaplin famous in France. Architect Auguste Bluysen maintained the art-deco them throughout the foyers, dance hall and restaurant areas.
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