Prague’s Top 10 Cinemas

Prague 6’s Kino Ořechovka also would have made the list, but it’s currently undergoing a major (and lengthy – it’s been a couple years) reconstruction. And let me take a moment to remember my one-time favorite Prague cinema, Bio Illusion on Vinohradská, which has now been converted into a music club and black light theater; one of my most treasured moviegoing memories was first catching what has become my favorite film – Lindsay Anderson’s O Lucky Man! – at Illusion back in 2004, introduced by cinematographer Miroslav Ondříček.

The rest of Cinema City Flora could use a major overhaul (the poorly-designed theaters reek of that 80s/90s multiplex feel, where you have to crawl over 20 people to get to your seat), but the venue scores some major points for containing Prague’s only true IMAX screen. While most of the IMAX-shot (documentary) fare is Czech-dubbed, the cinema also features English-language conversions of major releases like The Amazing Spider-Man and The Dark Knight Rises. I’ll frequently catch a film for a second time if it’s screened at the IMAX, and usually be rewarded for doing so.

“Gold Class” at CineStar Anděl has always been a non-ideal way to see a movie, unless you don’t care about the film and just want to relax. The setup – comfy reclining chairs, table service with a full menu – might appeal to some, but to me it just means additional distractions. Bonus: other patrons will inevitably carry on an unhushed conversation throughout the film, as if they were at home. You might run into some local celebs, however; I spotted Karel Gott at a Gold Class showing of Elizabeth: The Golden Age a few years back.

I never considered Lucerna to be among Prague’s top cinemas – weak(ish) selection of films and poor projection standards, a major shortcoming topped off by an almost unwatchable 3D projection of Werner Herzog’s Cave of Forgotten Dreams last year – but they’ve seriously upped their game in recent months with a larger selection of films and some special presentations, including Ladies’ Nights, premieres, and even English-friendly screenings (an undubbed copy of Men in Black 3 in 3D, and an English-subtitled print of Pedro Almodovar’s Spanish-language The Skin I Live In.)

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That all vanished, literally overnight, when Palace Cinemas was absorbed by Cinema City. Particularly unforgivable was the downgrade in projection standards: along with most multiplexes (worldwide), Cinema City Slovanský dům seems to screen films at a couple foot lamberts too dim under the mistaken idea that it will lengthen the lifespan of the projector’s light bulb (it won’t). This is compounded by the prevalence of 3D screenings, which require the luminance to be set even lower; most cinemas won’t bother to reset the brightness when switching between 2D and 3D films, meaning many multiplexes are screening films far, far darker than they should be. For many these days, a good blu-ray home screening on a widescreen TV delivers a more accurate representation of how the filmmakers intended a movie to look.

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Oko’s atmosphere can rival Aero, trading the Žižkov area for Letná but still attracting crowds of film lovers to its recently-renovated café. The atmosphere continues inside the actual theater: at a recent screening of The Chemical Brothers: Don’t Think, the area in front of the stage was converted into dance floor; at other screenings, beach chairs were set up. The cinema also currently features a Trabant convertible among the seats, where a few lucky passengers can recreate that drive-in feel.

I had never had a bad experience with Atlas’ projection; that is, until a week ago, when a digital copy of The Dark Knight Rises froze during a key scene (and a deafening buzz blared out across the speakers). Still, the issue was quickly resolved in a few minutes. Call it a minor blip; if you have a choice of where to watch a particular film, I still recommend catching it in Atlas (especially in 3D; just don’t expect a major discount compared to the multiplexes, with 180 CZK ticket prices for 3D projections.)