Movie going heaven! (Cinemas in Liverpool in general)

Member Name: albacookie

Product:	Cinemas in Liverpool in general
Date:	07/09/09 (95 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Lots of choice.

Disadvantages: None.

Liverpool offers all the usual suspects when it comes to cinemas - Odeon, Cineworld and Showcase are all represented.

The best option of these is the Odeon in the Liverpool One shopping centre. It opened in 2008 so is modern and clean, there are 18 screens including 4 gallery sections which offer leather arm chair style seating, access to the Gallery Bar and unlimited drinks, popcorn and nachos for £17. I haven't tried these tickets so can't comment on whether they are value for money or not. Regular tickets cost £7 or £8.50 for Premier seats which are slightly bigger and more comfortable but in my opinion not worth the extra as they are usually around rows 4 and 5 which is too near the front for me. As well as the usual cinema food there is a Ben and Jerry's in the lobby and Costa coffee. A limited selection of wine and beer is available to take in to the cinema.
Being situated in Liverpool One there is a wide selection of restaurants and bars within a minute or two to enjoy before or after the film.


The other options - Odeon at Switch Island, Cineworld at Edge Lane, Showcase on the East Lancs Road all have multiple screens and ticket prices are fairly standard - £6.30 at Cineworld, £6.25 at The Showcase.

There are however a few options that offer a more unique movie experience -
Picturehouse at FACT (Foundation for Art and Creative Technology) on Wood Street is my favourite place to see a film. It has 3 main screens (all with reclining seats!) and the Box downstairs which seats 50 on two seater sofas. Until recently you had to be very keen to watch a film in the Box as the sofas were incredibly uncomfortable but they have been upgraded to make the experience far more pleasant. FACT shows an interesting mixture of mainstream blockbusters, foreign films, indie movies and occasionally shows older classics. They also show live screenings of theatre performances from the National Theatre. There is a small kiosk selling popcorn, ice cream, sweets and drinks at reasonable prices and in smaller sizes than usually found in the big chain cinemas which I never manage to finish! There is a full bar and cafe and everything can be taken into the cinemas. For me the best thing about FACT is its membership scheme - it costs £27 annually (£42 for joint membership) and gives you 3 free tickets, £2 off each subsequent ticket and exemption from booking fees for online or telephone booking. Members also get 10% off in the cafe and bar and there are occasional free screenings of new releases. There is a Kids Club on Saturday mornings, Silver Screen for the over 50's and Big Scream showings for parents with babies. Tickets cost £7.

The Philharmonic Hall on Hope Street is more usually associated with the Philharmonic Orchestra but it is also home to the only working Walturdaw screen in the world, the art deco screen rises up out of the stage and films are often accompanied by organ music. Screenings happen once or twice a month - classic films (It's A Wonderful Life, The Godfather) and current releases (Harry Potter, Public Enemies) and cost £5.50 or £6.50 to sit in one of the boxes. The Phil is probably the fanciest place I've ever watched a film!

So whatever you want to see there will be somewhere to see it here!

Summary: Take your pick.