Théâtre Grévin

From 1883 to 1900, a small room was used for magic acts, replaced from 1892 onwards by coloured projections by Émile Reynaud called Pantomimes lumineuses, cartoon ancestors.

[2][3] The current venue, named Cabinet fantastique, was built in 1900 for the Universal Exposition within a complex initiated by the financier Gabriel Thomas and built by the architect Eugène-Émile Esnault-Pelterie,[4] in which can also be found the Musée Grévin, the Palais des Mirages, the Coupole and the Salle des Colonnes.

Throughout the end of the 19th century, before Méliès worked for film, at a fixed time during the day, visitors to the museum were able to attend small shows of moving images, magic or ombromania.

It is now included in the inventory of the Monuments historiques,[5] notably because of its stage curtain, an original painting by the famous poster designer Jules Chéret depicting characters from the Commedia dell'Arte as well as a high relief called Les Nuées by Antoine Bourdelle on its pediment.

The Grévin Museum was run for four generations by the Thomas family before merging with the Parc Astérix SA group in 1999.