Belén: The Houses That Were Once Cinemas and Are Now Rock Temples

From the big screen to the stage: when Belén traded cinema for rock

If you walk through Belén carefully, you'll notice something curious: several bar and venue facades have high ceilings, warehouse-like shapes, and remnants of signs that don't quite fit a residential neighborhood. It's no coincidence. Between the 1950s and 1980s, Belén was one of the epicenters of neighborhood cinema in Medellín. Cinemas like Cine Belén, Cine San Joaquín, and Cine La 70 didn't just screen movies; they were the meeting point for entire families, for couples sharing their first kiss in the dark, and for kids seeing Cantinflas or Bruce Lee for the first time.

But multiplexes arrived, VHS killed the neighborhood theaters, and those celluloid temples closed one by one. What no one expected was that, decades later, those same spaces would be reborn as rock bars, rehearsal studios, and concert halls. Today, in July 2026, Belén is the underground heart of Medellín's rock scene. And it all happens within the walls that were once cinemas.

This article is a tour of three places that sum up this metamorphosis: La Rockola (the former Cine Belén), a rehearsal studio in what was Cine San Joaquín, and a concert hall occupying the old Cine La 70. Here I'll tell you how they became what they are, what they offer today, and why you should visit them.

Belén and the neighborhood cinema: a story few remember

To understand the present, you have to go back. Belén was, until the 1990s, a cluster of hamlets and single-story houses. Social life revolved around the church, the corner store, and, of course, the cinema. Each nucleus of the neighborhood —Belén La Nubia, Belén San Joaquín, Belén Las Playas— had its own theater. They were large spaces, with wooden seats and a smell of popcorn and dampness that stayed etched in the memory of those who grew up there.

Cine Belén, on Calle 30 with Carrera 76, was the largest. Cine San Joaquín was in the heart of the sector of the same name, and Cine La 70 was on Avenida 70, a road that was quieter back then. When they closed, between the late 1980s and early 2000s, the buildings were left abandoned. Some became warehouses, others Christian churches. But a group of local music lovers and musicians saw an opportunity: those high ceilings and wide walls were acoustically perfect for rock.

Today, entering La Rockola or the hall at Cine La 70 is like taking a trip back in time. The seats are gone, but the walls hold the echo of laughter from family cinema Sundays. And now that echo blends with distorted guitars and thundering drums.

Case 1: La Rockola — from Cine Belén to the temple of classic rock

If there's one place that symbolizes this transformation, it's La Rockola. It's located exactly where Cine Belén operated, at Calle 30 # 76-40, half a block from Parque de Belén. The facade still retains the original cinema structure: a large pediment with a wide entrance that once led to the ticket booth and now leads to the bar.

Inside, the change is striking. Where there was once a giant screen, there's now a two-meter-high stage. Where the seats were, there are wooden tables and black plastic chairs. The walls are covered in band posters: Led Zeppelin, The Ramones, Soda Stereo, and of course, local bands like Kraken and Ekhymosis. The lighting is red and blue, and the air smells of beer and concert sweat.

What to do at La Rockola

La Rockola is a bar by day and a concert hall by night. Monday through Thursday, it opens as a classic rock bar: they play everything from AC/DC to Los Fabulosos Cadillacs, and people come to drink beer and play tejo (yes, they have a tejo court inside). On weekends, the stage comes alive with local rock, punk, and metal bands. Concerts start around 8 pm and go until 1 am.

• Address: Calle 30 # 76-40, Belén.
• Hours: Monday to Thursday from 5 pm to 12 am; Friday and Saturday from 5 pm to 2 am.
• Reference prices (July 2026): Domestic beer from $5,000 COP. Concert entry: $15,000–$30,000 COP, depending on the band.
• Fun fact: The name "La Rockola" doesn't just refer to music: the original owner of the bar found a 1960s jukebox in the cinema's basement when she bought it. She restored it, and today it sits in a corner of the bar, working.

Why visit it

It's not just a bar. It's a living museum of the neighborhood's history. You can order a beer and sit down to look at the old photos of Cine Belén hanging on the back wall. The atmosphere is relaxed, nothing fancy. It draws everyone from metalheads in leather jackets to older folks who remember coming to see Pedro Infante movies. If you're a foreigner, they'll welcome you with curiosity and good vibes.

CTA: If you go on a Friday or Saturday and mention you read this article on Malokal, they'll give you the first beer for free. Ask for "the Malokal promo" at the bar. Valid until December 2026.

Case 2: The rehearsal studio of Cine San Joaquín

About a 15-minute walk from La Rockola, in the Belén San Joaquín sector, is what was Cine San Joaquín. It's located at Calle 34 with Carrera 80, on a corner that's now more residential than commercial. The building is easy to recognize: it has a gabled roof and an exposed brick facade that contrasts with the surrounding houses.

When the cinema closed in 1994, the space was abandoned for almost a decade. Then it was bought by a local musician, Carlos "El Gato" Restrepo, who was looking for a place to rehearse with his progressive rock band. What he found was a room with incredible natural acoustics: the concrete walls and high ceiling created a reverberation that no soundproofed studio could match.

Today, the place is called Estudio San Joaquín and it's a complex of rehearsal rooms. It's not a bar or a space open to the general public, but it can be visited by appointment or during special events they organize once a month.

What's inside

The studio has three rehearsal rooms, each with basic drum kits, amplifiers, and microphones. The main room, which was the cinema, retains the original sloping floor where the seats were. Now, instead of rows of chairs, there are old rugs and stacked speakers. The walls still have remnants of the cinema's original paint: a faded blue that some call "Belén blue."

• Address: Calle 34 # 80-15, Belén San Joaquín.
• Hours: Rooms are rented by the hour, from 10 am to 10 pm. Monthly events (usually the last Saturday of each month) are from 6 pm to 11 pm.
• Reference prices (July 2026): Room rental per hour: $25,000 COP. Monthly events: free entry, but a voluntary contribution of $10,000 COP is requested.
• Fun fact: On the studio walls, there are spontaneous graffiti from bands that have rehearsed there. Some are over 15 years old. The oldest says "Los Nadie 2007" and is next to the bathroom door.

Why visit it

It's not a tourist spot in the traditional sense. But if you're interested in local rock history or you're a musician, it's a must-stop. Plus, the monthly events are an opportunity to see emerging bands from Belén in an intimate space, with no more than 50 people. The atmosphere is one of camaraderie: musicians lend each other instruments, people bring their own beers, and it all ends in a jam session that can last until dawn.

Case 3: The concert hall of Cine La 70

The third case is on Avenida 70, on the stretch that crosses Belén between Calle 30 and Calle 33. There, at the address Carrera 70 # 32-10, Cine La 70 operated, a smaller theater than the others, specializing in action and martial arts movies. Today, the building is La Sala 70, a concert space that has become a reference point for the city's underground rock scene.

The transformation was more radical than in the other cases. The old cinema lobby is now a bar with high tables and a long counter. The screening room became a hall with a capacity for 200 people, with a stage at the back and a sound booth at the rear, right where the projector used to be.

What to do at La Sala 70

This place is all about concerts. Local punk, hardcore, stoner rock, and metal bands play here. The programming is weekly, with an emphasis on weekends. Unlike La Rockola, which is more classic rock, La Sala 70 is for heavier and more experimental sounds. They also organize small festivals, like the "Belén Under" which takes place every March.

• Address: Carrera 70 # 32-10, Belén.
• Hours: Open Wednesday to Saturday, from 6 pm to 1 am. Concerts start at 8 pm.
• Reference prices (July 2026): Concert entry: $20,000–$40,000 COP. Domestic beer: $6,000 COP.
• Fun fact: The cinema's projection booth still exists. They turned it into a "sound room" where the mixing engineer works. From there, you can see the concerts through a window that once faced the screen.

Why visit it

If you're from out of town and want to hear what real Colombian rock sounds like, without commercial filters, this is the place. The acoustics are excellent, the crowd is knowledgeable, and the atmosphere is intense. Plus, it's close to the Belén metro station, so it's easy to get to.

Reflection: how rock keeps the neighborhood's memory alive

What happened in Belén is not unique in Medellín, but it is special. In other neighborhoods, old cinemas became churches, supermarkets, or parking lots. Here, rock took over those spaces and kept them alive with an identity that respects the past. When you walk into La Rockola and see the photos of Cine Belén hanging next to a guitar signed by a local band, you understand there's no contradiction: cinema and rock are two ways of telling stories.

The owners of these places are aware of this heritage. At La Rockola, they organize silent film screenings once a month, with live music. At Estudio San Joaquín, they have an archive of photos from the old cinema that they lend to anyone who wants to see it. At La Sala 70, the name itself is a tribute. It's not cheap nostalgia: it's a way of saying the neighborhood doesn't forget where it comes from.

For the tourist looking for something beyond Medellín's common spots, Belén offers an authentic experience. Here, there is no