On March 15, 1963, Cine Matilde was inaugurated in the neighborhood of Bangu, in the West Zone of Rio de Janeiro. The cinema was installed in the gallery of the same name, located on Avenida Ministro Ary Franco, and was considered one of the most modern structures of the era. The venue featured 1,360 upholstered seats and an oval screen, designed to ensure good visibility from different points in the audience.
The cinema was conceived by merchant Antônio Gama da Silva, who decided to name the venue after his wife. The establishment also had a powerful central air conditioning system, which was supposed to guarantee the comfort of viewers during screenings.
However, the electrical grid on Avenida Ministro Ary Franco was not prepared to handle the load demanded by the cinema's air conditioning system. Faced with this limitation, the solution found was to improvise: fans were used and the ventilation tubes were stuffed with ice to try to cool the environment.
After the inauguration, it was necessary to request an increase in the electrical capacity available for the cinema, allowing the air conditioning system to function properly.
