Though Central Cinema, located in the heart of Madurai, was gutted by a fire on Friday (September 11, 2026), it remains an indelible landmark in the memories of the city’s moviegoers. On Friday evening, as Madurai was abuzz with preparations for the upcoming consecration ceremony of Sri Meenakshi Sundareswarar Temple next week, Central Cinema, an abandoned theatre located just a short distance from the shrine, caught fire. Before the fire engines could extinguish the flames, a major portion of the structure was destroyed.