The Best Independent Cinemas In Adelaide Australia

Sick of paying $24 for a movie ticket, $11 for a bucket of popcorn, and $8.50 for a choc-top? Then catch your next film at one of these eight excellent independent cinemas around Adelaide, screening the latest Hollywood releases as well as cult classics and arthouse titles.

1. Mercury Cinema

Cinema

Opened by Queen Elizabeth in 1992, this inner-city theatre is run by a not-for-profit organisation — the Media Resource Centre — dedicated to cultivating ‘screen culture’. Grab a drink at the stylish lobby bar before heading into the 186-seat cinema to catch new release arthouse films as well as a retrospective program of classics. You can find the Mercury just off North Terrace in the West End of the city, and even join the Cinémathèque screening club if you’re particularly keen on your hard-to-find flicks.

2. Capri Theatre

Cinema

The Capri auditorium and organ © The Capri

This heritage-listed Art Deco cinema was constructed in 1941, and screens films from Hollywood’s golden age right through to today’s new releases. Run by a network of generous volunteers and located in Goodwood, the Capri is also home to a world-class Wurlitzer pipe organ that’s regularly used for recitals, billing the venue as the “Unique Entertainment Showplace in the World”.

3. Mitcham Cinemas

Cinema

Situated within the Mitcham Square Shopping Centre, this cinema isn’t your average shopping mall megaplex. Wallis Cinemas Mitcham is stylishly appointed with 1940s decor, contains seven screens, and also features the Boulevard Lounge, a nice spot for a drink or a bite to eat before or after your session.

5. Mount Barker Outdoor Cinema

Cinema

Picnic blankets and cinephiles fill the lawns of Auchendarroch House in Mount Barker over summer as Wallis Cinemas bring al fresco flicks to those balmy Adelaide evenings, including plenty of kids films and sing-along events. Wallis also has a seven-screen indoor cinema next door, and for fans of outdoor cinema, they’ve got a drive-in at Gepps Cross, too.

6. Palace Nova Eastend Cinemas

Cinema

The Palace and the Nova opened separately in the late ‘90s before quickly joining forces to become one of Adelaide’s favourite independent cinemas, showing mainstream, arthouse, independent, foreign-language and documentary films at 12 theatres – including the largest screen in the city, ‘The ExiMax’. Palace Nova has also recently opened a second location on Prospect Road in the trendy suburb of Prospect.

7. The Regal Theatre

Cinema

Step back in time at this charming single-screen cinema in Kensington Park, which has been welcoming Adelaide’s film-goers since 1925. Formerly known as the Chelsea, the Regal Theatre is an Art Deco masterpiece with capacity for nearly 600 patrons in its grand, old school cinema that dates back almost a century.

8. Trak Cinemas

Cinema

This cosy theatre in Toorak Gardens curates a program of the latest Hollywood showings as well as lesser known titles and subtitled films, enjoyed in intimate surrounds. This place is perfect for cinema-goers who want to escape the hulking cineplex theatre chains, but still catch all the newest big-name titles.

Since you are here, we would like to share our vision for the future of travel - and the direction Culture Trip is moving in.

Culture Trip launched in 2011 with a simple yet passionate mission: to inspire people to go beyond their boundaries and experience what makes a place, its people and its culture special and meaningful — and this is still in our DNA today. We are proud that, for more than a decade, millions like you have trusted our award-winning recommendations by people who deeply understand what makes certain places and communities so special.

Increasingly we believe the world needs more meaningful, real-life connections between curious travellers keen to explore the world in a more responsible way. That is why we have intensively curated a collection of premium small-group trips as an invitation to meet and connect with new, like-minded people for once-in-a-lifetime experiences in three categories: Culture Trips, Rail Trips and Private Trips. Our Trips are suitable for both solo travelers, couples and friends who want to explore the world together.

Culture Trips are deeply immersive 5 to 16 days itineraries, that combine authentic local experiences, exciting activities and 4-5* accommodation to look forward to at the end of each day. Our Rail Trips are our most planet-friendly itineraries that invite you to take the scenic route, relax whilst getting under the skin of a destination. Our Private Trips are fully tailored itineraries, curated by our Travel Experts specifically for you, your friends or your family.

We know that many of you worry about the environmental impact of travel and are looking for ways of expanding horizons in ways that do minimal harm - and may even bring benefits. We are committed to go as far as possible in curating our trips with care for the planet. That is why all of our trips are flightless in destination, fully carbon offset - and we have ambitious plans to be net zero in the very near future.