Condé Nast Traveler's Coolest Movie Theaters Around the World
From Grauman's Chinese Theatre to a newly revamped Cinerama in Seattle, these 13 movie theaters around the world will make you want to leave your home theater.See more from the coolest movie theaters around the world on CNTraveler.com. All descriptions from Condé Nast Traveler. Which of these theaters would you most like to visit?
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- DirectorGary FortinStarsStephen BarberStephen BrutonCoCo CarmelRoad to Austin, chronicles how Austin, Texas became the Live Music Capital of the World dating from 1835 to present day. This feature documentary builds to a climax as the storyline weaves its way towards a live concert featuring Kris Kristofferson, Bonnie Raitt, Delbert McClinton, Eric Johnson, Ian McLagan, Joe Ely and many other artists led by musical director, Stephen Bruton. This 75-minute adaptation features a documentary and a 8-song excerpt from the 3 hour concert. Mr. Kristofferson dedicates this film and all of its proceeds to the Stephen Bruton 'Artist Wellness Program' due to Stephen losing his battle to cancer in 2009. Stephen Bruton served as Kris's guitar player and closest friend for over forty years.ALAMO DRAFTHOUSE, AUSTIN, TEXAS
“Cold beer, hot movies, and delicious snacks and meals” is the mantra for the Alamo Drafthouse cinemas. Husband and wife team Tim and Karrie League opened the first theater in 1997 in Austin, Texas; since then, the cinema has become a chain, with multiple locations across the country. They're sticklers for etiquette (they will kick out or ban people for cell phone use during a movie— even Madonna ) and also keep things interesting by screening a little bit of everything: classic B movies, the indie du jour, even the latest superhero extravaganza. - DirectorW.S. Van DykeStarsClark GableJeanette MacDonaldSpencer TracyA Barbary Coast saloonkeeper and a Nob Hill impresario are rivals for the affections of a beautiful singer, both personally and professionally, in 1906 San Francisco.CASTRO THEATRE, SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA
The Castro is a San Francisco institution: It opened in 1922 and was designated one of the city's official historic landmarks in 1977. Its façade is an homage to the Spanish Colonial–era Mission Dolores, and its seating area provides room for 1,400 guests. The theater is no longer a ‘first-run’ venue; instead, it hosts various festivals, retrospectives, and special events. - DirectorJim ButterworthAaron LubarskyLisa SleethThe gripping documentary exposé into the life and death of North Koreans as they try to escape their homeland and ChinaCINÉ DE CHEF, SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA
This South Korean theater opened in 2007 and combines high-end dining with a luxury movie-going experience. This small theater (there’s room for only 30 guests) features $7,000 chairs and deluxe 11.1 channel surround sound. - DirectorCédric KlapischStarsFabrice LuchiniRomain DurisJoffrey PlatelA ex-dancer has a heart problem and even with a transplant, he may still only have a few months to live. Time's spent looking at people/life in Paris from his balcony. His single mom sister moves in with her 3 kids to look after him.CINÉMATHÈQUE FRANÇAISE, PARIS, FRANCE
The Cinémathèque Française is one of Paris's most beautiful cinemas , but it's also a treasure trove of film archives and valuable artifacts from the world of film. Titans of French film like Truffaut, Godard, and Vadim all attended screenings at the Cinémathèque to get their cinematic education. - DirectorStuart TownsendStarsAndré 3000Jennifer CarpenterIsaach De BankoléActivists arrive in Seattle, Washington en masse to protest a meeting of the World Trade Organization. Riots and chaos ensue as demonstrators successfully stop the WTO meetings.CINERAMA, SEATTLE, WASHINGTON
Yes, Seattle's Cinerama can still screen the traditional three-strip films—think How the West Was Won —as it did in the 1960s, but since Paul Allen got his hands on the theater in the late '90s, it has been wholly transformed into one of the most high-tech, exciting movie experiences in the U.S. After a very recent renovation in November, Cinerama is now the first commercial theater to use a Christie 6P dual laser projector, meant to make the most of a 3D experience; it also upgraded its seats (bigger, more leg room), sound, and sells local concessions like Theo's Chocolate, Cupcake Royale desserts, and Elysian beer. - DirectorTom ZuberStarsJohn Patrick AmedoriJack AnthonyJasmine Jessica AnthonyJimmy takes his dead drug dealer's cash and must unload it and dodge his associates. At a massive house party in the heart of Little Athens, everyone is about to face the consequences of their reckless pursuit of sex, money and acceptance.CINE THISIO, ATHENS, GREECE
Take in the latest studio blockbuster or a re-mastered classic in the best of Athens’s many summer cinemas. The Cine Thisio’s claim to fame is its spectacular views of the Parthenon and the Acropolis. - DirectorHunter RichardsStarsJessica BielChris EvansJason StathamAt a drug laden party in a New York loft, a young man tries to win back his ex-girlfriend.ELECTRIC CINEMA, LONDON, ENGLAND
London's Electric Cinema (not to be confused with the one in Birmingham) opened in 1910 and is one of the oldest movie theaters in the country. Now operated by the members-only Soho House (though the theater is open to the public), the plush movie theater is full of perks, like leather seats and sofas and an adjacent bar. - DirectorMartin ScorseseStarsLiza MinnelliRobert De NiroLionel StanderAn egotistical saxophonist and a young lounge singer meet on VJ Day and embark upon a strained and rocky romance, even as their careers begin a long, uphill climb.FILM FORUM, NEW YORK, NEW YORK
This tiny non-profit cinema—the only nonprofit independent cinema in NYC—has been screening independent and foreign films for its loyal customers since 1970. Located in the heart of Greenwich Village, The Film Forum is a throwback to a New York of another era and a place that its many fans hold dear. - DirectorSteven SpielbergStarsEric BanaDaniel CraigMarie-Josée CrozeAfter the Black September capture and massacre of Israeli athletes at the 1972 Olympics, five men are chosen to eliminate the people responsible for that fateful day.FILMTHEATER SENDLINGER TOR, MUNICH, GERMANY
Opened in October 1913 in the heart of Munich, for over a quarter of its life this family-run, Jugendstil-style theater has had its fabulous, 40-square-meter marquee lovingly hand-painted, à la Bollywood, by artist René Birkner (sometimes in less than a single night). It remains the city’s largest single-screen cinema. Grab a red-velvet seat in the cozy balcony (beer in hand) for an anti-cineplex night to remember. - DirectorJulian SchnabelStarsLou ReedSteve HunterFernando SaundersLou Reed's 2006 live concert performance of his 1973 concept album "Berlin", filmed over five nights at St. Ann's Warehouse in Brooklyn, New York.KINO INTERNATIONAL, BERLIN, GERMANY
The Kino International opened in East Berlin in 1963, two years after the construction of the Berlin Wall, and represented the cutting edge of cinematic technology at the time—with inclined seating, a waved ceiling, and acoustic dampening panels on the walls. The Kino remains a destination in the reunified Berlin, playing host to many film premieres and festivals. - DirectorRobert ClouseStarsRobert MitchumRichard EganLeslie NielsenEx-DEA agent Quinlan enters a labyrinth of deception and death as he tries to destroy a powerful Amsterdam-based drug cartel named 'Juliana'.PATHÉ TUSCHINSKI, AMSTERDAM, NETHERLANDS
This monumental Art Deco cinema, located in the heart of Amsterdam, was first opened in 1921—built by Polish immigrant Abraham Tuschinski to the tune of 4 million guilders. The Pathé Tuschinski has been in continuous operation for almost a century and remains the buzziest movie-going experience in the city, as the regular host to Amsterdam's red-carpet premieres. - DirectorChris McIntyreStarsDamon KohliLinda GrayGeorge LazenbyTerrorists plot smuggling chemical warfare into New York City, and also allude to the blowing up of the World Trade Center, before 9/11/2001.RAJ MANDIR CINEMA, JAIPUR, INDIA
The theater nicknamed the "Pride of Asia" is the crown jewel of India’s cinemas , and there's no better place to soak in the colorful sights and sounds of Bollywood. First opened in 1976 and designed in an Art Moderne style, the seating arrangement is broken down into four classes: pearl, ruby, emerald, and diamond. And all four classes are in demand: Every single movie showing for the last 25 years has been sold out. - DirectorDamian John HarperStarsMateo Bautista MatíasMarcos Rodríguez RuízLidia GarcíaMateo prepares to migrate to Los Angeles in order to support his humble family in their small Zapotec village in southern Mexico, yet before he can depart the leader of the local gang demands that he commits murder to become a member.TCL CHINESE THEATRE, LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA
Officially named the TCL Chinese Theatre (the naming rights were sold in 2013), movie lovers continue to stubbornly refer to it by its original name, Grauman’s Chinese Theatre. The cinema opened in 1927 and has since hosted countless premieres, from The Wizard of Oz to Star Wars ; hosted three Academy Awards ceremonies; and presides over nearly 200 celebrity concrete imprints in its forecourt.