Mercury is the oldest cinema in Nice. Since 1911 there has been a single room that has been transformed into multiplexes in 1978. Again, he was the first cinema of this type of Alpes-Maritimes.

In this cinema, the programming has always been multiple with about thirty films allowing the viewer to have a maximum choice. In today’s Mercury, the former owner had developed theatrical afternoons for the children, from which the mention “ Theatre” which has long been on the ensign... This explains the narrowness of the seats in the rooms 2 and 3...

From 1978 to 1990, Mercury has 12 rooms (9 on the site of the current House of Associations and 3 in the present Mercury). After a dozen years of golden age, the decline began in 1990 with the generalization of multiplexes on Nice (Rialto, Pathés, Variétés).

In September 2007, the Mercury was purchased by the Conseil Général des Alpes-Maritimes for the site to remain a "Art & Essay" cinema, aimed at the locals. Otherwise, a superette would have settled on this mythical place...

The last “revolution” took place in the summer of 2012 with the passage to Digital and the equipment of the three rooms while retaining a 35mm projector in the 1. In the lobby, we kept the original cast-iron projector from 1948, all cast-iron... It’s still with this equipment that we worked for 5 years from 2007 to 2012...

From now on, the comfort of image and sound is guaranteed to the Mercury, which always programmes a large number of new films. It is the brand of this cinema that participates in the increase and diversity of programming in Nice square.

In 2021, the Department of the Alps-Maritimes, in the desire to pay tribute to the giant of the large French screen, Jean-Paul Belmondo, decided to rename the Mercury, a historical cinema of Nice, “ Cinéma Art et Essai Jean-Paul Belmondo” in order to never forget its passage in the History of French and global cinema.

This monument of cinema with more than 80 movies and 30 plays, this star with 160 million admissions that has been successfully rubbed with all the film currents, leaves the 7th art in a deep mourning. Beyond his formidable artistic talent, it is well of the personality of Bébel, an extraordinary alchemy of gouaille, joviality and charism, of which we all fell in love.

It was in a spirit of memory and transmission that the Department wished to associate the name of Jean-Paul Belmondo with the oldest cinema in Nice and the Alpes-Maritimes. It is by the association of these two cinematographic monuments, one actor, the other cultural prism, that the Department now inherits an indispensable duty of memory in the face of the work that Jean-Paul Belmondo left behind.

It is now up to our generation to revive the light of the projectors and to make the memory of the Talent to whom we pay tribute.

Capacity of the rooms :

Max room capacity 1 : 86
Max room capacity 2 : 39
Max room capacity 3 : 29

Programme · Jean-Paul Belmondo