Cinéma Étoile: sex shop and X cinema in Marseille

On boulevard Dugommier, a stone's throw from the center of Marseille, Cinéma Étoile isn't a sex shop like the others. It's one of those addresses the Marseille gay community has known for a long time, quite simply because it's been around for some forty years and has weathered every trend without losing its clientele.

An all-in-one place

Over roughly 1000 m², the establishment combines several distinct spaces. First there's the classic shop, with its traditional sex shop section (accessories, magazines, gadgets). Then a real cinema screening X-rated films, a gallery hosting photos and shows, and a bar where you can catch your breath between two visits.

This size and this variety of spaces partly explain its reputation: you don't just come to buy something, you also come to spend some time, watch a film, have a drink. It's this dimension of a living place, more than a simple shop, that makes it stand out.

Hours and access

Cinéma Étoile is open every day, Monday to Sunday, from 9am to midnight. Wide opening hours that let you drop by just as easily during the day as in the evening, which isn't so common for this type of establishment.

It's located at 19 boulevard Dugommier, in Marseille's 1st arrondissement, a central and easy to reach area.

Atmosphere and crowd

The clientele is mainly gay and made up of couples. The place has a real function as a meeting spot, beyond its retail offer: people also come for the atmosphere, the exchanges, the cruising side that gives it its reputation in guides and specialized sites for a gay audience.

Shows and events are organized regularly, which keeps the place alive and gives reasons to come back outside of classic visits.

What people say

The feedback circulating about this establishment insists on its status as a historic spot of the Marseille gay scene. People talk of a particular atmosphere, that of a place that has seen several generations pass through and keeps a strong identity, somewhere between shop, cinema and meeting place.

This local institution status, with its forty years of existence, makes it a place apart in the landscape of Marseille's erotic shops.