Ministry of Arts, Culture, and Heritage has announced Olympus cinema will be reopened in September after completing major renovations. Renovations began at the largest cinema in the Maldives after it was closed in adherence to the COVID-19 restrictions.
Olympus is a historic building located in Male' City that has premiered numerous movies from the local film industry. The cinema has seen numerous renovations since it opened in 1959 and has continued to face issues of wear and tear due to the age of the building.
Speaking to PSM News, Event Manager of the Heritage Ministry Ahmed Rameez said the renovation project aims to improve the building's interior and exterior to fix the various issues due to old construction material. Rameez said the renovations include installing a new weather-proof roof and applying chemicals to strengthen the building sheets. He said the renovations also include changing the position of the counter and expanding the walkway and café area. The improvements will be made to the counter, café, and restroom and that the biggest change to be made to Olympus is adding wheelchair accessibility to all areas of the building, he added.
The Olympus cinema renovation has been split into different stages that include changing the floor space as well as upgrading the sound and speaker system and other equipment.
The heritage ministry stated it will take three months to complete the renovations.