11 Of The Craziest Movie Theaters In The World
The internet has done a number on movie theaters. It is becoming harder than ever to compete with the comfort of streaming your favorite movie or TV show online from the comfort of home. To fight back, many cinemas are upping their game. We scoured the globe to find the 11 best movie theaters worth leaving the house for.
Electric Cinema, London, England
Electric Cinema is quintessential London: comfort, style, luxury and substance. Nestled in London's Notting Hill neighborhood, the swanky theater features luxurious red leather armchairs, two-seater sofas and six double beds in the front row for ultimate relaxation. A little cold? The theater provides cashmere blankets.
August Moon Drive-In, Nashville, Tenn.
If American nostalgia is your thing, August Moon Drive-In is your place. The themed entertainment attraction is a full-size re-creation of a country drive-in circa 1965 (with stationary cars). The entire venue will be under a 40K SF air-supported dome that simulates a nighttime sky. The developers could think of no better city to debut the attraction's classic American vibe than Nashville.
Rooftop Cinema, Melbourne, Australia
What could be better than taking in a film while in the shadow of commercial real estate? Down Under you will find such a dream atop Curtain House in Melbourne's central business district. Australia is known for its open-air cinemas, but among them all, this is best. Ever the innovators, Melbourne just combined rooftop cinemas and drive-in cinemas with the first rooftop drive-in cinema. You read that correctly.
Cinépolis Junior, Pico Rivera, Calif.
Keeping children quiet and still through a movie is no easy task. Cinépolis may have the solution: jungle gyms. The movie theater operator debuted the kid-friendly theaters in Mexico City to wild success. Children are welcome to play on the jungle gym and in the play area 20 minutes prior to the film. Once the show starts, the play area is off-limits. So parents, bring your kids early to work out some of that excess energy before the film.
Cine Thision, Athens, Greece
Cine Thision sounds too good to be true. A comfortable open-air theater amidst a garden in the shadow of the Acropolis? Surely such a venue only exists in dreams. Think again. The only drawback is sometimes audience members find it hard to focus on the film when wonders of the world are everywhere they look. No pictures. This one you just have to see for yourself.
Civic Theatre, Auckland, New Zealand
Strictly speaking, the beautiful Art Deco Civic Theatre is not a cinema. While it was purpose-built as a cinema in 1929, the gorgeous venue now features opera, ballet and theatre in addition to films. The Civic is internationally significant as the largest surviving atmospheric cinema, in which lights and design were used to convey an impression of being in an outdoor auditorium.
Cinespia, Los Angeles, Calif.
Immerse yourself in the history of Hollywood buried all around you. That's right, Cinespia screens movies in a graveyard — the Hollywood Forever Cemetery to be exact. Hundreds of locals turn out with blankets and chairs. Stars like David and Victoria Beckham, Elijah Wood and Justin Timberlake have been spotted at screenings.
Prasads IMAX, Hyderabad, India
The Prasads IMAX boasts the largest 3D IMAX screen in the world, coming in at 72 feet by 92 feet. The theater is capable of putting out a staggering 12,000 watts of uncompressed digital surround sound. When you are done having your eyes and ears blown away, enjoy the surrounding 235K SF entertainment complex that includes a mall, arcade and a variety of multinational fast food outlets.
Ciné de Chef, Seoul, South Korea
Ciné de Chef redefines luxury with its combination of a movie theater and gourmet restaurant. The theater seats 30 people in chairs that cost $7K each. Tickets start at $54, and that is before food and drink crafted by Le Cordon Bleu-certified chefs.
Revue Cinema, Toronto, Canada
As one of the oldest cinemas in Canada, Revue is not a looker. Do not let the facade fool you, the real beauty of the theater is the community behind it. When news of the theater's closure was announced in 2006, locals organized a grassroots campaign to save the cinema. It reopened in 2007 and now operates as a not-for-profit cinema.
Alamo Drafthouse, Austin, Texas
The saying goes, Keep Austin Weird, and Alamo Drafthouse has a serious impact on that effort. From cult classic quote-alongs to unique themed midnight premieres, Alamo Drafthouse inspires a love of movies like no other theater. Gourmet beer and delicious Tex-Mex make any experience better. Add in state-of-the-art sound and projection and you have the perfect viewing experience, which Alamo Drafthouse protects rigorously.
