Top 5 movie theaters in Manila

Okay so finally I can give out my verdict on this one. Being a big movie fan people tend to ask me what are the best movie theaters in Manila are. To determine this we need to focus on what’s important which are:

Visual: Screen clarity
Audio: Clarity and sound equality
Seats: Comfort and placing(no matter where you are seated it aint hard to look at the screen)
Price: Not only how much the movie cost but possible promos.
Customer Service: No hassles at the ticket booth and the snack bars.
Crowd: It’s nice to watch when the audience just watch and not talk. Also if they are disciplined enough to take out their own trash.

Now that you know our criteria, and I’ve pretty much tried all the movie houses let me give you the top 5 movie theaters and the best bargain theaters.

and the top 5 are……

5. Gateway theaters(not the lazy boy seats) - Price is reasonable at 100 pesos if I’m not mistaken. The food court is great and you also have taco bell below. Good service. The seats are okay but not as plush as you think and seating at the front row will give you a neck strain. My advice, better carpeting and seats.

4. Podium cinema 1&2 - I never expected to place podium on my top 5 because it kinda felt like a hole in the wall in there at Podium mall but this was a pleasant surprise. The seats were 1 of the best out there sound was good and the screen was big for such a place which is an x factor. Seating in front might be a problem and not much on the food court but they do have actual mini shops around.

3. Eastwood cinemas - A lot of people considered Eastwood as the best, but not for me. The theater is great, no matter where you seat the screen seems to be okay. The seats are one of the best except for the squeaks that you might hear. The sound was too loud and the bass was off. The ticketing booth people seemed to be unorganized and the snack bar service could’ve been better. Weird seating arrangement 3 instead of 4 on the wings. But at 120 pesos the movie house is good bargain.

2. Shangri-la cineplex(not premiere) - I’ve actually only tried cinema 1 but this movie house would’ve been the best except for a few minor issues. For one, you can’t bring any food in unless you bought from their snack bar and lack of promos could’ve been a plus. Besides that the movie house was excellent! No matter where you are seated you are okay(I saw Star Wars Episode 3 front row on the side) and the sound is the best out of any movie theaters in Manila except for the number 1 choice, the sound is well balanced meaning nothing’s off and will really get your heart pounding.

1. Greenbelt 3 Cinema 1&2 - In terms of watching it seems that Shangri-la has an edge but not much. Sound is excellent, seats are okay anywhere and screen is good. All this and you get the best customer service out there, if you’re friend is running late you can just leave the ticet and a name with the ushers. Also the offers, when you buy a ticket you normally get free games at timezone and a discount at 1 of it’s snack bars. This and the M-Pass service gives it an edge over the rest. Can’t wait for them to finish rebuilding their food court. If you can tell me anyone who can match then that would be my number 1.

Reactions:
Some you guys might disagree with me, not including the premiere theaters of Shangri-la and Gateway. They are too expensive and not worth it if the movie is short. Plus Lazy boy seats with a table? it takes out the whole movie experience. 300 pesos is too much for a movie. Rockwell theaters and Robinson’s galleria cinema 1 would have made it but they increased their prices to 150 pesos which is too much for a movie that does not equal Shangri-la’s or Greenbelt’s. This movie houses have excellent crowds and well mannered as to not ruin the movie experience.

Sound comments:
It doesn’t matter what you kind of technology you use from Dolby Digital to THX to whatever. It boils down to the mix. Shangri-la did an amazing job on mixing things right. By the way, I’m talking about movies not car audio setups. Louie’s THX has too much bass while Eastwood is just plain loud that doesn’t do justice on the Bass. For some reason those who uses JBL speakers seem to do well surround wise.

Bargain theaters:
If you don’t want to spend for more than a 100 pesos you might want to try Market! Market! which is priced at 70 pesos or you can try the 400 pesos for 5 which has a lot of freebies including free arcade pass worth 100 pesos and free popcorn if you don’t mind the crowd and the sometimes jerky screen. Another one is Robinson’s galleria cinema 6 which has excellent sound using SDDS(Sony) at a bargain price.

New movie houses:
SM Megamall just recently rennovated their theaters. Robinson’s Pioneer is getting good reviews. Also I have to check the new ones in Greenhills. Will update you guys soon on those.