COMMUNITY NOTICE: If you are having trouble in your account access, please do send us a message at [email protected] for assistance.
The Best Cinemas in the Metro
Nakura
Moderator PEx Influencer ⭐⭐⭐
Which among these cinemas are the best? (Poll choices are from the cinemas where our screenings are usually held 
)
) What are the best cinemas in Metro Manila?
This is a public poll: others will see what you voted for.
Comments
Galleria is pretty ugh. The seats are too close to the screen. The elevation is pretty poor. If someone brings out a cellphone it'll glare right in your face unless the person hides it in the nook of their seat.
Tickets are overpriced for the quality of the cinema.
The only reason I ever went there is that it usually has showings not available in any other cinema. Also if you want to watch a movie twice, Galleria is the place to do it (given the choices)
Greenbelt 3 has the best cinemas in the Glorietta/Greenbelt mall complex the elevation is really great. All the seats are pretty comfortable, they have food trays and decently sized cup holders, reserved seating for all their cinemas.
But if you really want the best experience in the Makati area, nothing beats Power Plant. It's like the Ayala cinemas with even better seats. Not a big fan of the elevation, but the crowd there seems to be a lot more sensible. I've seen 3 movies in Power Plant (because it's kind of out of the way for me) and I've yet to see someone bring out a phone. Plus the seats are pretty big so they'll block some of the light.
Megamall is kind of an average between Galleria and Greenbelt. The top are has so-so elevation, not as bad as Galleria, but not as good as Greenbelt's. The seats aren't big, so if you want to rest your head, you'll need to slouch if you're not short or a kid.
They have Lazy boy chairs, which beat all of the seats in all of the theaters, but place them upfront. As in the screen is only a few feet away from you. Trinoma has these too, but place them all the way in the back and then adds a 100php extra charge on the ticket.
They seem to be adopting reserved seating for some of their cinemas. But not really sure how long they'll keep it. They tried doing that some time back then just devolved back to free seating after a few weeks.
Megamall has a no R-18 restriction. Rarely an issue though (because distributors often just go for R-16 and don't make separate R-18 cuts) They do have SM Exclusives which are, mostly, crap films. But they on occassion screen decent films.
Megamall is going to get an IMAX theater, not sure how it'll match up to MoA's IMAX. But if it's anything close to it, then Megamall wins by default. Even North EDSA's "lie"-MAX (significantly smaller screen compared to MoA's) is a superior choice, the only cinema I'd take over it would be Power Plant's.
TLDR
Megamall IMAX (once it's finished) >>> (Not a choice, but Power Plant) > Greenbelt > Glorrieta >>> Megamall >>>>>> Galleria
ang dagsa ng tao pala niyan once it's finished
nung nakanood ako sa IMAX sa Aura, medyo nalula ako (1st time ko makanood sa IMAX), parang ang laki masyado ng screen, nasa malapit na sa mukha mo
Glorietta 4's cinemas, parang walang elevation, kung minalas-malas ka at matangkad nasa harap mo, wala ka ng makikita (we tend to sit at the aisle, tapos left side pag manonood kami run)
Megamall, ok na siguro, at least ok yung elevation niya
Greenbelt, hindi pa ako nakakasubok manood dun
Supposedly by the end of this year last time I heard. But when I passed by Megamall last week, the building (where the IMAX is going to be located) really didn't look like it was going to be finished in a few weeks.
Not sure how the IMAX in Aura is laid out, but in MoA, 3-4 rows from the middle is an okay spot. Compared to North EDSA's IMAX which is small enough to be comfortably viewed from dead center.
So you'll really want to start from the center and move away from the screen. If you watch from the aisles, might want to move up an row or two as well to make the viewing angle more comfortable (at least that's what my friend says)
Hindi pa ako nakakapanood sa Robinson so I can't say
Glorietta is okay, though naliliitan ako sa leg room ng seats. Mega, for some reason, ang ingay ng mga movie goers doon. Rob Galleria, i really can't remember the place. Hindi ako masyadong nagagawi doon kahit nung nasa Pinas pa ako. Greenbelt na yung pinaka-okay for me sa choices.
I find these three to be better than Megamall.
Robinson's The Forum is pretty okay too. The seats are better than Megamall. Although kinda near the screen like Galleria. But they extend farther back IIRC (got dragged to see At Any Price there, which was a Robinson's exclusive I think?)
SM North is Megamall quality, if we're talking The Block. Main building is slowly getting there (at least they don't stink of bleach anymore)
walang Trinoma????
but why include RobinsonsGalleria? the cinema there is the pits. it is an old renovated and retro-fiited cinema. matino lang ang lobby.
it should have been RobinsonsMagnolia instead of Galleria. :bop:
same goes with SM Megamall. the cinemas of MOA are far better than its 20year old predecessor. it too is a renovated cinema which only got a minimalist facelift.
mas maganda pa yun cinema sa Shangrila. :bop:
the MOA cinemas can give the Greenbelt cinemas a run for their money.
I was thinking of starting a thread about cinema hardware (theaters) ever since i learned about Dolby Atmos
http://www.dolby.com/us/en/consumer/technology/movie/dolby-atmos-details.html buti na lang may thread na.
as big fan of the art and science of movies i want to see them in the best possible way.
so kung may time (and money) dun ako sa best theater.
so far kung sound and image quality ang usapan, hands down IMAX talaga.
but since mahal sa IMAX, any of the SM cinemas will do. para sa akin they raised the standard when all their theaters went at least digital 2D. plus SM din ang nagdala ng IMAX dito. i havent looked back to Ayala theaters although dati ayoko sa SM.
Since more or less everyone is now digital, sa sound naman ang attention ko, according to their website Dolby has 3 Philippine cinemas with Atmos: Greenhills Promenade, SM Aura Premier and Century City Mall (not yet open) I hope i will be pleased when I try it the first time for The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug
Megamall- I like the seats and the sound system but not so much the crowd. Several times na akong naka-experience ng unruly movie goers dito na maingay at todo labas ng cellphone na hindi pa naka-silent.
Glorietta- Madalas sa aisle ako naupo. Gaya nga ng sabi nila, pag sa side parang napakalyo mo na sa screen. Experienced this when I watched Evil Dead and since then sa aisle-center na ako pumupwesto. Mas gusto ko crowd dito.
Galleria- Ok lang, sikip lang ng distance between rows. I like the placement of the seats, mas nagmumukang malaki ang screen.
I'd choose Gateway or Trinoma if they're on the list.
OT: I saw posters of IMAX in Megamall. Sana hindi lie-max.
my movie-going experiences in the said theaters (greenbelt, glorietta, sm megamall, and robinson's galleria) were from years ago, so i don't know if the theaters themselves have improved or degenerated since. but my vote would go to greenbelt (3) -- back when it charged the highest admission fees, i could see why one would pay more to see a movie there -- leg room.
sm cinemas would be my last choice -- mostly for the reason fellow moviegoers there just wouldn't shut up.
now, i mostly see the movies i want to see at trinoma because it's the most accessible for me...before there was trinoma, i would go all the way to gateway.
Sa mga press screenings they sometimes pick Gateway, Powerplant and Resorts World. IMAX usually MOA talaga pero kapag digital IMAX movie (converted and not really shot using IMAX cameras) they usually do it sa North Edsa although lately sa SM Aura naman, they're probably showcasing their new IMAX screens. Feeling ko yunh magigin IMAX sa Megamall, hindi rin kasing laki sa MOA.
I watched once sa Gateway and I agree the theater is good as well, hindi siksik, maganda elevation and comfy seats. Resorts World's screens are small pero OK na rin naman.
nasa gitna kami, 2nd to the last row nung nanood kami ng Hunger Games sa Aura IMAX..parang ang laki talaga nung screen, lula to the max nung una
sa galleria, siguro naging ok dun sa akin kasi, unti lang kami nanonood kaya walang problema..kung punuan siguro, makikita ko yung pag kakaiba
sana naman sa ibang sinehan ang maisip ng distributor, ie, gateway, shang at trinoma, tulad ng sabi ng iba dito..lahat naman accessible via mrt eh, madali puntahan
Robinsons Ermita ok rin yung sine, yung sa Midtown.
Yung sa MOA ayos din, super laki yung Centerstage.. yung HP7 pinanoood namin sa IMAX nalula ako sa lapit ng screen row F ata kami nakapwesto.. sakit ulo ko paglabas.. :hiya:
Sa Eastwood ok din soshal yung carpet and everything..
Sa Festival Mall naman, luma na mga sinehan nila kung ano yung kinalakihan ganun pa rin hitsura and feel although OK kahit papaano yung Cinema 5 & 6.
Festi is going digital too. I saw The Counselor there because of the no R-18 policy on SM cinemas. 8, 9, 10 are now digital 2D. Did not notice the seats though.