30 Best Movie Cinemas Around the World
Amazing big screens from across the globe
TCL Chinese Theatre
Where that? Los Angeles, California
Why We Want to Go There: Formerly the Grauman’s Chinese Theatre, what better place to watch a film than right at the heart of the Hollywood Walk Of Fame, with the concrete signatures and handprints of the most famous stars in the movie industry on the forecourt?
IMAX
Where that? Sydney, Australia
Why We Want to Go There: Because IMAX is all about size and, at 117 feet wide and 97 feet high, this is the biggest IMAX screen in the world.
Futuroscope
Where that? Poitiers, France
Why We Want to Go There: For those where a simple trip to the cinema just doesn’t seem enough, this Disneyland-like complex is 130 acres wide and consists of 13 different buildings, combining to create an area that utilises every single different type of cinema technology, including every version of IMAX.
Sadly no Space Mountain though.
Sign up for the Total Film Newsletter
Bringing all the latest movie news, features, and reviews to your inbox
Golden Village
Where that? Katong, Singapore
Why We Want to Go There: While plenty of cinemas offer plush reclining armchairs and footrests for extra comfort, this movie theatre gives each seat a call button for a member of staff to come over and top up your drink or make you a new cocktail.
Comfy seats and being waited on hand and foot sounds heavenly. We’re just worried that the temptation to push the button every 10 minutes just for fun would be too great.
Sol Cinema
Where that? South Wales, U.K.
Why We Want to Go There: There is something very commendable about creating a fully solar-powered mobile cinema, but really we’re only interested in the cinema experience in this tiny converted caravan, which seats only eight people and has a tiny red carpet and bespoke ushers.
Busan Cinema Centre
Where that? Busan, South Korea
Why We Want to Go There: With an outdoor screen that seats 4000 people and four indoor screens that seat 1500 each, this is one of the largest cinemas in the world and, if that wasn’t enough reason to go, then the LED projectors that allow for spectacular light displays seals the deal.
The Senator
Where that? Baltimore, Maryland
Why We Want to Go There: It’s not so much the film-viewing experience that’s important here but the cinema itself, which boasts such an iconic Art Deco facade that it has featured in the movies itself, including Twelve Monkeys and Diner.
Cinespia
Where that? Hollywood, California
Why We Want to Go There: An outdoor cinema in a cemetery? It might seem more than a little creepy but there’s something morbidly fascinating about watching a film in the same place that rests the remains of such legends as Peter Lorre, Fay Wray and John Huston.
Although... maybe choose to attend the comedies rather than the horror films.
CGV Cheongdam Cine City
Where that? Seoul, South Korea
Why We Want to Go There: For all those 3-D naysayers who still regard the effect as a gimmick, you haven’t seen anything yet. This movie theatre offers the full 4-D experience: seats move with the camera and scents, water and wind are all employed throughout each screening.
It might all seem like a bunch of cheap tricks, but just wait until James Cameron insists on releasing Avatar 2 in 4-D cinemas only.
Cinepolis Luxury Cinemas
Where that? La Costa, California
Why We Want to Go There: The reclining leather seats make for a comfortable viewing experience, but it’s the waiter service we really want to try.
Imagine having someone bring you gourmet snacks during a movie, including one enticing offering: zebra popcorn. That’s popcorn covered in white and dark chocolate. We can’t understand why we’re not eating this right now.
Sonic 3 director explains the thinking behind picking those new post-credits arrivals: "It's always 'which character is going to give us something new?'"
The Inside Out 2 panic attack scene is one of the best depictions of anxiety ever – and something Pixar director Kelsey Mann is incredibly proud of: "I couldn't be happier"