Art cinemas in Budapest where you can watch Hungarian movies with English subtitles
Among the movie theaters that were once bustling with audiences, there are some that have retained their old luster and special atmosphere even after nearly 100 years. If you want to watch a movie in the evening reminiscent of the past, we recommend some of Budapest's many art cinemas. What is unique, that the movie you want to watch will be screened with subtitles (English or Hungarian). If you want to catch a movie that’s not in English or Hungarian, it’s likely to be screened with English subtitles. Here is a list of Budapest art cinemas and the reasons why they’re worth visiting.
Corvin Cinema
In one of the most central parts of the capital, the Corvin Cinema opened its doors on November 21, 1922 as the largest movie theater in Budapest at the time. The cinema, which is still open today and shows countless films, was considered one of the pioneers of movie theaters in the capital. The cinema building designed by Emil Bauer survived the siege of Budapest with little damage. However, it was not so lucky in 1956: as the central location of the freedom struggle, the building suffered several fatal hits. It was rebuilt and modernized in 1957, bringing it back to the forefront and becoming the capital's only cinema equipped with a cinema scope. The Corvin Cinema as it is known today was transformed in the 1990s, when the café in the foreground and several smaller and larger cinema halls were built.
1082 Budapest, Corvin köz 1.
Tabán Art Cinema
Buda's first cinema, the film theater founded by Pécsi Manó, which is known today as the Tabán Art Cinema, is nestled among the residential buildings of Krisztina körút. The history of the cinema dates back to the years 1911-14, and the neighborhood and cinema fans could know it by several names: Palace, Krisztina, Diadal and Tabán. The program of the family-friendly art cinema, renovated in 2014, offers a choice of a handful of carefully selected films from week to week. The intimate atmosphere is ensured not only by cinema halls that can accommodate a small number of people, but also by nooks and crannies suitable for waiting until the movie starts.
1016 Budapest, Krisztina krt. 87-89.
Művész Art Cinema
True to its name, the downtown garden of art films is sufficiently artistic even in the atmosphere of Művész Mozi, located just an arm's length from Oktogon. On the facade of the Művész Mozi, which is easily recognizable even from the streetcars, you can read the titles of the films currently showing in neon light. In Művész, which houses various works in the foreground, five movie theaters are available to viewers, which bear the names of famous directors and actors. The cinema, which opened around the 1910s, first became known as Mozgókép Otthon, but it also bore the names Décsi Mozi, Deák Mozi, Fáklya and Új Tükör Művész Klubmozi over the years. In the cinema, now only known as Művész, pre-premiere screenings, thematic film days and film festivals await you, as well as selected and quality films.
1066 Budapest, Teréz krt. 30.
Puskin Cinema
The Puskin Cinema, which is approaching the 100th anniversary of its opening, still blends into the hustle and bustle of Kossuth Lajos utca to this day. Perhaps we are not exaggerating when we say that the beauty of the interiors of the movie theater, located halfway between Ferenciek Square and Astoria, rivals the beauty of the spaces of the Uránia National Film Theater, located just a stone's throw away. Opened on November 26, 1926, the movie theater was called the Fórum Film Theater and was renamed the Puskin Movie Theater in 1949. The cinema building, with its patina and interior decorated with chandeliers, marble surfaces and sculptures, was formerly home to the Magyar Világ coffee house. Puskin, which still attracts many viewers to this day, has hardly lost any of its luster: going to the cinema here is equivalent to a magical time travel.
1053 Budapest, Kossuth Lajos u. 18.
Toldi Art Cinema
The Toldi Art Cinema, which is commodiously approaching its 100th anniversary, opened its doors in 1932. Perhaps it is not surprising that during its existence Toldi also underwent several renamings, when it was opened it was known to the general public as City Cinema, but also bore the names Szittya and Úttrő. Toldi was the first and until then the only cinema in the early 1950s, where the public could see 3D films. In the 1990s, Toldi, which was also associated with club life, is nowadays an indispensable member of Budapest art cinemas, where it is worth buying a ticket for film clubs, film carnivals and pre-premier screenings.
1054 Budapest, Bajcsy-Zsilinszky út 36-38.
Nora, OLS Community Manager – Hungarian