Forget the small screen, there’s nothing like watching the movies super-size. And why should you go for second best? We pull back the curtain to reveal the ten best movie theaters in the world!
Pathé Tuschinski – Amsterdam, the Netherlands
The Tuschinski auditorium. © Pathé
With its red carpet-lined foyer, golden lighting and rich blend of Art Deco and Jugendstil motifs, the Pathé Tuschinski feels like a place reserved only for the highest and mightiest of film stars.
But don’t let its elitist glamor fool you. Classy as it is, this elaborate movie theater – opened in 1921 – is one of Amsterdam‘s most cherished and accessible cultural centers, offering 740 visitors the chance to slide into the Grote Zaal’s (Great Hall) plush velvety seating and soak up the screen. Whether you’re after retro screenings of old silent movies or the regular mainstream talkies of today, the Tuschinski always delivers the celluloid goods.
Cineteca – Madrid, Spain
The Sala Azcona screening room, Cineteca Madrid. © javier1949
Tucked in the north-east corner of the Matadero Madrid, a former slaughterhouse turned arts complex, the Cineteca stands proud as the only movie theater in Spain dedicated solely to the efforts of documentary cinema, with an archive center allowing guests to watch around 7,000 truth-telling yarns absolutely free of charge.
But the Cineteca’s secret weapon is the Sala Azcona, a spangling screening room, where LED tubes shine a light on a woven wall made out of old irrigation hoses and steel tubing – the closest you’ll get to sitting in a giant basket! Tickets for screenings are just €3.50 and the plush black velvet seats are the comfiest in town.
The Cinémathèque Française – Paris, France
The Cinémathèque Française. © pittaya
Head to any major capital city and you’re likely to find a fantastic film institute and archive center, but they all pale in comparison to Paris‘s Cinémathèque.
Inside architect Frank Gehry’s cubist building you’ll find three screening rooms, a library, bookshop and a great basement bistro. But the Cinémathèque’s pièce de résistance is its museum. It boasts the world’s largest and continually expanding film archive, with materials stemming all the way back to the Lumière brothers and the birth of cinema.
For the less high-minded movie buff, the museum also allows you to admire some top-notch movie memorabilia, from the golden female robot in Fritz Lang’s “Metropolis” to the creepy cranium of Mrs Bates in “Psycho”.
Figuratively and literally a French institution, the Cinémathèque is a living, breathing and utterly charming shrine to the Seventh Art.
Andorra – Helsinki, Finland
The Andorra gets jazzy during a music festival. © Jussi Hellsten
Founded by legendary Finnish filmmakers Aki and Mika Kaurismäki, a visit to this peculiar Helsinki haunt feels like stepping right into one of the brother’s movie sets.
At street level you’ll find the Corona, a New York-inspired pool hall and drinking hole, which stands right next to Kafe Mockba, a delightfully drab USSR memorial bar serving hefty vodka shots and baloney sandwiches, while a turntable in the corner blares out old Soviet tunes.
But it’s downstairs at the Andorra where things get even more cinematic. Bearing the name “Dubrovnik”, this once dingy basement has been transformed into a comfy public living room, packed with leathery armchairs, a tiny but well-stocked bar and a movie theater that is open for film festivals, concerts and personal hire events.
Extra tip: no movie screenings during your visit? Not a problem! Helsinki’s Orion Cinema is just a two-minute walk away from the Corona complex and equally magnificent.
Kino Intimes – Berlin, Germany
The sprawling graffiti wall outside the Kino InTimes, Berlin. © Tahian
Home to one of the world’s most prestigious film festivals, the Berlinale, movie lovers are spoiled for choice when it comes to great movie theaters in the German capital. But it’s on the fringes of the city center in the Friedrichshain district where you’ll find an art-house that’s really shaking up the neighborhood.
The Kino InTimes is grungy, but in a good way, with a small screening room, no-thrills cafe and an old coal stove heating up the place during the winter months.
While the projectionist screens the latest European indie flicks inside, the outside of the movie theater is dedicated to a different kind of art. Berlin has its fair share of graffiti, but it’s tough to find a place where it’s more skillfully presented and encouraged than on the wall of the Kino InTimes; an ever-evolving canvas offering new street artists the opportunity to make their mark.
The Raj Mandir – Jaipur, India
The Raj Mandir foyer. © Antoine Taveneaux/Wikipedia
With the world’s largest national film industry, it’s a prerequisite for India to have some truly Bollywood-bombastic cinemas. Best of the lot is not even in Mumbai, but Jaipur.
Just outside the entrance of the Raj Mandir, in glowing neon green, you’ll find the theater’s credo: “The Showplace of the Nation – Experience the Excellence”. Head inside and you’ll realize that these less than modest movie theater owners aren’t kidding.
It’s known to the locals as the gem of Jaipur, with a bejeweled, candy-colored lobby making way for one palace-like auditorium big enough for 1,237 crazed film fans, all too happy to stand up and sing the national anthem before the movie begins. These lively screenings almost always sell-out, so get there early to avoid disappointment.
Pioner Cinema – Moscow, Russia
The corridor of the Pioner Cinema, Moscow.
Reopened in 2009, this former 1950s Soviet movie theater is the undisputed home of Moscow cool. But it’s not just for the locals. Unlike most Russian cinemas, The Pioner subtitles its international movies, rather than the industry standard practice of dubbing, meaning that you’re always likely to find an international clientele here.
After the movie credits have rolled, take a quick stroll through the marble-floored hallway to the cozy Pion restaurant, or lose yourself in the Omnibus Magic Bookroom, a wonderfully offbeat bookshop where the walls of great reads are personally selected by the Pioner’s friendly and knowledgeable staff.
If the weather is simply too glorious to lock yourself away indoors, the Pioner Open Air movie theater runs daily from May till October in Moscow’s Gorky Park.
Busan Cinema Center – Busan, South Korea
The luminous Busan Cinema Center roof. © Cecil Lee
Ahhh, the Busan Cinema Center. It’s bright, it’s brash and perfectly aligned to the futuristic slickness of South Korea.
Opened in 2011 at the expense of $150 million, the center features six world-class movie auditoriums, including an outside auditorium put to use during the annual Busan International Film Festival.
If what’s on screen doesn’t grab your attention, then the center’s roof certainly will. Glimmering with more than 40,000 LED lights – and standing at the size of one full size football pitch, it’s the longest cantilever in the world. Totally awe-inspiring, it’s South Korea’s very own kaleidoscopic cathedral of cinema.
Secret Cinema – London, UK
One grand and glitzy Secret Cinema screening of The Grand Budapest Hotel. © Marianna Chua
While most movie theater chains try to lure back the crowds with garish 3D technology, there’s one British-born enterprise that is truly devoted to changing how we all watch films.
Simply put, Secret Cinema put the “pizzazz” back into the movies, offering not just regular screenings but immersive film experiences, such as seeing “The Shawshank Redemption” from behind prison bars and a spook-filled role-playing presentation of “Ghostbusters”.
But it’s all very hush-hush, with most of the locations, times and movies themselves not announced before the launch date. The only way you can be a part of this playful and unpredictable movie club is by registering on the Secret Cinema website.
Alamo Drafthouse – Austin, Texas, USA
The Alamo Drafthouse cowboy welcomes you to the movies. © Lomo-Cam
Noisy late comers, Big Gulp slurps, glaring mobile phones and back seat bantering/smooching. You won’t find any of these annoyances at the Alamo.
On top of their zero tolerance approach to mid-movie horseplay, this Texas-born movie theater chain is the mecca for America’s serious cult movie nerds, with filmmaker Quentin Tarantino standing proud as one of the Alamo’s loudest and proudest disciples.
With over 20 Alamos (and counting) dotted around the US, you’re never too far away from your share of the cinephile fun. Best of the program is its Signature Events, featuring quote-a-long screenings to comedy classics, feel-good Girlie Nights and weekly $3 showings of movie theater’s most eccentric exports in the lovingly titled “Weird Wednesday” series.
