Watching a film at a movie theater is one of my favorite forms of entertainment. The theatres here in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan mostly offer local or independent films that are in the Kyrgyz or Russian language. Most show the latest Hollywood films, but they are dubbed in Russian. In Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, you will have few options to watch English-language films so continue reading to learn more.
WHERE TO WATCH ENGLISH FILMS IN BISHKEK, KYRGYZSTAN
1. Cinematica
The largest chain of cinemas in Bishkek is called Cinematica. They have locations across the city in major shopping malls such as in Dordoi Plaza, Bishkek Park, and Cosmo Park. Specific locations show movies in IMAX which is known to have larger screens. If you want to watch movies with the original sound in English, I recommend going to Cinematica. They play the latest Hollywood movies and I even watched the films Oppenheimer, The Super Mario Bros. Movie, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever during my time in Bishkek.
I have a very important piece of information that I want to share. There is a small percentage of people who watch films in English, since a majority are watching ones that are dubbed in Russian, the duration they play these movies and which movie theatres they show it at is very limited. If you see that an English movie is being played, you can expect it to be stopped playing after a week.
Also, it seems like Cinematica rotates which movie theaters show the English movie. One day, it may only be shown at Cosmo Park, and the next day only at DorDoi Plaza. So make sure you check the schedule carefully and be quick if you want to watch your desired movie.
In addition, Cinematica has an Instagram account @englishmovieclubkg where they actively make announcements about the latest English movies that are being shown.
BUYING MOVIE TICKETS IN BISHKEK, KYRGYZSTAN
Through the Cinematica website, you can view the schedules, pre-select your seats, and purchase your tickets online. You can pay with Visa or Mastercard online, however, when I tried making these purchases online, it failed. So, I just go to the movie theatre approximately 20 minutes before the movie starts time to select my seat and purchase my ticket. There has never been a time when I've gone to watch an English movie and the theatre was full, so hopefully it won't be difficult for you to get your desired seat.
You can expect to pay a bit more for IMAX tickets and for more prime times. I've seen the prices of tickets range from 200 soms to 530 soms.
CONCESSION STANDS
One of the best things about visiting the movie theaters are the snacks. Back in Canada, I'm used to seeing a variety of popcorn, drinks, nachos, and hotdogs. The concession stands in the Bishkek movie theatres are not too different, but I was very disappointed that the popcorn was not freshly made and already scooped into the buckets. In addition, I found the flavors of the popcorn to not suit my tastebuds, it was either way too sweet or salty.
I did notice that the Cinematica concession stand at Dordoi Plaza was far superior to the one at Cosmo Park.
Even though there aren't many options to watch English movies at theatres in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, you can always consider online streaming platforms if you prefer the comfort of your own home. If there are any options and other theatres that play English movies in Bishkek, write them in the comments below.
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