Today's Düsseldorf Cinema Atelier, Bambi, Cinema, Metropol and Souterrain have a long history in their current form. It all began on November 1,1979, when Udo Heimansberg took over Metropol from Helmut Rehbein, a former operator (since 1972) . Prior to that, he was theater manager at Rex, the main train station (prior to that, he was theater manager at the Willi Goldermann Cinema Company's Duisburg cinema for four years) , so there are lots of opportunities to learn about the industry and its customs (as graphic designer! It was not easy in the early years. The cinema lived on plays and survived film nights and series. Premieres are rare, and if they are, they are rarely successful films.