Cinema Paradiso Wanaka

Cinema Paradiso's single screen theatre has 80 Seats – 3 in a Morris Minor, 3 from a Chinese Airline, 6 from a Big Blue Bus, 1 fold down bed, 2 Recliners and an eclectic mix of sofa’s soft chairs and comfy couches.

• https://www.paradiso.net.nz
• 03 443 1505
• info@paradiso.net.nz

• 72 Brownston Street, Wanaka

Loads of free parking right outside the front door.

"My week started with a very pleasant couple of days in the lakeside town of Wanaka. It's a small place but with a good selection of bars and cafes and it's in a beautiful setting, nestled among the mountains of the Southern alps … That evening I treated myself to a trip to the pictures. The movie was a laughably bad Dennis Quaid vehicle called Frequency. But the film didn't really matter because Wanaka cinema was such a delight. About the size of a village hall, the seating was a motley assortment of armchairs and sofas with a convertible Morris Minor thrown in for good measure. Halfway through, the film stopped and we had a short interval. Everyone went outside to the adjoining cafe and got freshly baked cookies (still warm), homemade ice cream or a beer and then settled back into their armchairs. This is how all cinemas should be. It was more like being round someone's house."
The UK Guardian, January 2001

"It is the coolest theatre experience you're likely to find this side of the equator. And what's this warm, witty welcome all about? Where are the bored ticket-tearers, the intolerably cramped seats, and skinny armrests? Hasn't anyone told MacLeod about the etiquette of modern movie-going?...'It's fantastic. This is like having a big screen cinema in your living room!' Melbourne visitor John Hutcheon says...Macleod, who is particularly fond of arthouse and independant films says Cinema Paradiso is unique...'The generic cinema that you walk into could be in Bangkok, London, Sydney, Auckland wherever. You walk out thinking that you have been processed.' There is no chance of feeling that way at Cinema Paradiso, revered by locals and visitors as a Wanaka treasure. The Paradiso puts a premium on home comforts, giving patrons the choice of -Several Sofas, A Lazyboy Recliner, A Brown Vinyl Monstrosity held together by duct tape, 32 other Lounge Chairs, 3 Seats in a Morris Minor, 3 Passenger Seats from a Chinese Airline [rescued from a basement of a Wanaka home - 'Something that gives me a real buzz is having people leaving at the end of the night going 'This is the best cinema I've ever been to' Hopefully they will remember Wanaka and the tossy Scotsman who talked shite!"
The Christchurch Press