The first film screening in Russia took place in St. Petersburg's "Aquarium" Garden in 1896. It was also the site of the first experimental sound film screening—a fragment from A. Rubinstein’s opera The Demon. Renowned performers like Shalyapin and Utyosov graced the theater, and famous figures such as Tchaikovsky, Blok, and Gorky often visited. The "Aquarium" Garden has forever entered cinema history not only as the venue of the first film screening: for over 70 years, the "Lenfilm" studio has been located on its grounds. The first permanent cinema, "Living Photography," began operating on Nevsky Prospect in May 1896.