Cine-Teatro Monumental

It was built during the 1950s, with a project by architect Fernando Batalha.
It was inaugurated on June 10, 1952, with a screening of the film Teresa Venerdi, by Vittorio de Sica.
Initially, it expected a capacity of over of 1300 people: 884 seats in the audience, 416 in the balcony, 16 frisas and nine boxes.
For years, it was the only cinema in Benguela.
After independence, it became the property of the State.
The Angolan Civil War, however, led to its closure in the 1980s.
It only reopened its doors in 2004, when former football player Osvaldo Cruz (known as Joni), after ending his playing career, invested in renovating the building and signed an operating contract with the Cinema Distributor and Exhibition Company (Edecine).
The first film shown after the reopening was The Matrix, in DVD format.