Overview
Each and every time that Melbourne has gone into lockdown — yes, all six instances — we've all given our streaming queues a hefty workout. There's still nothing like seeing a film in a cinema, though. Twitter doomscrolling and all of those Slack notifications can't bother you when there's nothing but the glorious cinema screen in front of your eyeballs.
That's exactly what awaits Melbourne movie lovers from 6pm on Friday, October 29, which is when the city will launch into its next phase of eased restrictions. Outdoor cinemas were allowed to open when lockdown ended last week, but this'll mark the first time since the beginning of August that their indoor counterparts can get the projectors whirring.
Expect picture palaces around town to return to their popcorn-munching business quite quickly, even with density and patron caps in place. One such spot that's opening the moment it can is Carlton's Cinema Nova, with a whopping 37-movie lineup — yes, 37 different flicks — that spans new titles that haven't yet played big screens in Melbourne (such as Icelandic thriller Lamb, free-climbing documentary The Alpinist, the Mads Mikkelsen-starring Riders of Justice, Nicolas Cage playing a truffle hunter in Pig, and the spectacular and surreal musical that is Annette) as well as movies that were screening when lockdown started (like the contemplative Nine Days, comedy Shiva Baby, Lin-Manuel Miranda's In the Heights and fab music doco The Sparks Brothers).
Also letting film fans back into darkened rooms on the same date are the Classic, Lido and Cameo cinemas, with the three sites showing some of the aforementioned titles, too. Other flicks on their lineups include new releases Halloween Kills and Ron's Gone Wrong, Anthony Bourdain documentary Roadrunner: A Film About Anthony Bourdain, and the likes of Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, Candyman and Free Guy. And yes, the Lido and Cameo have actually already been playing a few of these movies already, since they all reopened their outdoor and/or rooftop cinemas last week.
Charlie Kinross Photography
And, joining the relaunching bonanza on Friday night, too, are Reading's Victorian sites. They'll be among some of the state's cinemas that'll be screening flicks such as The Suicide Squad, Black Widow, Space Jam: A New Legacy, Malignant and The Last Duel.
On that same date, Village Cinemas will reopen its Victorian venues as well — other than the Coburg Drive-In, which has already relaunched — and so will Hoyts and The Sun Theatre.
Also jumping back into action that evening are Palace's Victorian sites. They'll do so with a lineup of new and recent movies — including horror movie Antlers, Port Arthur massacre drama Nitram, and plenty of the flicks already mentioned above. The Astor Theatre is reopening as well, starting with sessions of Summer of Soul (...Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised) — which'll make quite the big screen treat.
Plus, IMAX Melbourne will relaunch on Saturday, October 30 — if you like seeing blockbusters such as Shang-Chi and The Suicide Squad on the biggest screen you possibly can.
As everyone knows from the last few lockdowns, heading to the pictures during the pandemic comes with a few changes. Just like at plenty of other businesses that are reopening in the time of COVID-19, the movie-going experience now includes online bookings, allocated seating, capacity limits, gaps between patrons, contactless payment, social-distancing requirements and extra cleaning.
For more information about what's screening in Melbourne from 6pm on Friday, October 29, or to book tickets, visit the websites for Cinema Nova; the Classic, Lido and Cameo cinemas; Reading; Village; Hoyts; The Sun Theatre; Palace and The Astor Theatre; and IMAX Melbourne.