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Travel

The Best Movie Theaters in Paris

By Alexandra Owens

Take in a film in this town and expect as much of a sensation in the seats as on the screen.

© Courtesy of Louxor

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Paris is an undeniably cinematic city. So it might seem backward, wasteful even, to spend a few hours of a visit there shuttered inside a dark movie theater. But Paris is one of the undisputed capitals of film, and time spent in one of its cinemas is time spent exploring a rich side of the city’s culture and history.

If Paris looks like a movie set, many of its theaters are no exception, distancing themselves from generic multiplex chains. Regaled old beauties like the palatial Grand Rex, which was built by the French producer who brought Charlie Chaplin to France, still thrive. Small art-house cinemas decked in traditional red velvet, such as Studio 28, can be found in corners of nearly every arrondissement.

And in the last several years, a new wave of theaters has popped up that gives moviegoers an opportunity to appreciate film through the lens of modern luxury and nostalgia. Director Luc Besson’s new EuropaCorp Cinémas at Aéroville serves action movies with a side of caviar, while the Katara Cinéma at Le Royal Monceau, Raffles Paris provides its guests with the quiet of a semiprivate screening room (plus buttery leather seats).

Here, 10 excellent places to take in the Seventh Art while you’re in Paris.

 
Courtesy of EuropaCorp

EuropaCorp Cinémas at Aéroville

Leave it to Luc Besson—the French director behind thrillers such as The Fifth Element (1997) and Taken (2008)—to open the ultimate blockbuster multiplex. Located on the outskirts of Paris at the new Aéroville shopping mall, EuropaCorp Cinémas offers a First Class ticket that will land you a reclining leather seat with a tablet for ordering snacks like macarons and Petrossian caviar. Other screening rooms have plush blue couches on which you can lie back, enjoy the Dolby Atmos sound system and contemplate the wonderful dilemma of choosing between goat-cheese or truffle popcorn from the 16-plus flavors on the concessions menu. 30 Rue des Buissons; 33-6/49-90-19-50; europacorpcinemas.com.

Courtesy of Louxor

Le Louxor

Consider a break from vintage foraging at Marché aux Puces Saint-Ouen de Clignancourt market to marvel at nearby treasure Le Louxor. Originally built in 1921 as a silent cinema, the theater reopened in 2013 after more than two decades of disrepair (and a brief, scandalous stint as a nightclub). A $33 million restoration project revived its colorful, tiled, neo-Egyptian façade and three screening rooms, the highlight of which is the ornate Salle Youssef Chahine, a gold-painted masterpiece with hieroglyphic motifs and an Art Deco skylight. 170 Blvd. de Magenta; 33-6/44-63-96-96; cinemalouxor.fr.

Courtesy of Katara Cinema

Katara Cinema, Le Royal Monceau, Raffles Paris

Hidden away in the Philippe Starck–designed Le Royal Monceau, Raffles Paris is the minimalist Katara Cinema, a 99-seat theater that was previously reserved for private screenings. However, with its Sunday Night Film Club, anyone can book a spot in front of the 23-by-10-foot screen to watch classics like Gone with the Wind. Guests are greeted with a glass of Champagne and caramelized popcorn from pastry chef Pierre Hermé; for a bit extra, make it a dinner-and-a-movie package at La Cuisine, the hotel’s Michelin two-star restaurant. 37 Ave. Hoche; 33-6/42-99-88-04; leroyalmonceau.com.

Courtesy of Studio 28

Studio 28

You might recognize Studio 28 and its velvet seats from a cameo in 2001’s Amélie, but the little art-house theater’s history stretches back much further. Jean Cocteau—who designed Studio 28’s surrealist candelabra light fixtures himself—once called it the “cinema of masterpieces, and the masterpiece of cinemas.” Today a visit to see its playful red front steps perched on a steep street in Montmartre also means a chance to peruse the lobby, which is filled with vintage movie posters and memorabilia from classic film stars like Jeanne Moreau. 10 Rue Tholozé; 33-6/46-06-47-45; cinema-studio28.fr.

Courtesy of Meffre and Marchand

Cinéma du Panthéon

The oldest functioning movie theater in Paris, the Panthéon received a facelift in 2007 for its 100th anniversary from none other than French cinema patron saint Catherine Deneuve, who teamed up with interior decorator Christian Sapet to open a tea salon upstairs from the screening room. More cozy den than traditional café, it makes use of vintage furniture and throw rugs that set the perfect mood for conversational meet-the-director nights over a biting glass of Sancerre. 13 Rue Victor Cousin; 33-6/40-46-01-21; whynotproductions.fr.

Courtesy of MK2 Cinemas

MK2 Quai de Loire/Quai de Seine

A tale of two banks, the MK2 Quai de Loire and Quai de Seine sit on opposite sides of the Bassin de la Villette in northeastern Paris, where they glow bright, cheerful neon in otherwise industrial neighborhoods. A huge variety of independent and wide-release films are shown on the 12 screens, and if you feel like taking in a double feature, the official MK2 ferry, Zéro de Conduite (named after the 1933 film), will zip you from one shore to the other. 14 Quai de la Seine; 7 Quai de la Loire; 33-6/92-69-84-84; mk2.com.

Courtesy of La Cine´mathe`que Franc¸aise

La Cinémathèque Française

La Cinémathèque Française is so much more than a movie theater. Since being founded in 1930, it has served as a mecca for those obsessed with the Seventh Art. Now housed in a spectacular, undulating building designed by Frank Gehry, which has more than a passing resemblance to the Guggenheim in Bilbao, Spain, Cinémathèque Française contains a research library, wood-paneled screening rooms that feature rare films from the world’s largest archive and a museum of cinematic artifacts, including Louis Lumière’s 35mm projector. 51 Rue de Bercy; 33-6/71-19-33-33; cinematheque.fr.

Courtesy of Pathé Beaugrenelle

Cinéma Pathé Beaugrenelle

The films screened at Cinéma Pathé Beaugrenelle may be wide release, but the atmosphere is anything but mainstream. The lobby’s trippy yellow-and-white interior—designed by Ora-ïto, a French brand whose work is sold at ground-zero-of-cool Colette—looks like something straight from Stanley Kubrick’s imagination. The technology matches the futuristic vibe, with the latest in 2-D and 3-D projection systems installed in all ten rooms. 7 Rue Linois; 33-6/92-69-66-96; cinemasgaumontpathe.com.

AA World Travel Library / Alamy

Le Champo

Dubbed his “headquarters” by French director François Truffaut, Le Champo still holds on to its youthful, edgy reputation despite gaining historic-monument status. Today local Sorbonne students flock to its midnight Nuits du Champo program, where spectators can watch a trio of back-to-back films in red-velvet-lined screening rooms and greet the day bleary-eyed after a complimentary breakfast. Other favorites here are the carefully curated retrospectives honoring directors from Tim Burton to Claude Chabrol. 51 Rue des Écoles; 33-6/43-54-51-60; lechampo.com.

Courtesy of Le Grand Rex

Le Grand Rex

Situated on Les Grands Boulevards, Le Grand Rex and its soaring Art Deco tower—a veritable temple to cinema—could just as easily be plucked out of an old Hollywood set. The 100-foot-high ceilings, two balconies, and 2,800 seats make the main screening room the largest in Europe and an obvious choice for premières. But despite its size and glitz, Grand Rex isn’t short on charm. The starred ceiling and annual Féérie des Eaux—an onstage water show similar to the fountains at the Bellagio in Las Vegas—keep nostalgic generations coming back. 1 Blvd. Poissonière; 33-6/45-08-93-89; legrandrex.com.

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