Cinemas in Amsterdam: historic picture palaces and films in their original language

What to know before buying a ticket

• OV or NL: in the listings, OV (originele versie) means the film is shown in its original language with Dutch subtitles; NL means it is dubbed into Dutch, without subtitles, which mostly applies to animated and children's films. A Dutch film usually has no English subtitles, except at special screenings marked "EN SUBS" or "English subtitles".
• Card payment only: Pathé, Rialto, FilmHallen, Het Ketelhuis and LAB111 do not accept cash. Bring a debit or credit card, or buy your ticket online.
• The intermission: in most Pathé cinemas, longer films are interrupted by an intermission (pauze). There is never one at Tuschinski or Pathé De Munt, nor in IMAX, Dolby Cinema, 4DX and ScreenX screens.
• Prices: a ticket costs around €13 to €13.50 at arthouse cinemas; at Pathé, the price varies with the day, the time, the film and the screen, with weekday screenings before noon being the cheapest.

The historic cinemas

Pathé Tuschinski, Art Deco on the Reguliersbreestraat

Opened in 1921 between Muntplein and Rembrandtplein, Tuschinski cinema is Amsterdam's great film landmark: a twin-towered facade, a main auditorium with an ornate ceiling, a balcony and private boxes, and six screens in all. In 2021 Time Out named it the most beautiful cinema in the world. To make the most of it, pick a film showing in the main auditorium (screen 1), or take the morning audio tour. All the details on visiting and box seats are on our dedicated page.

The Movies, the oldest cinema in the city

At Haarlemmerdijk 161, about fifteen minutes' walk from Central Station, The Movies bills itself as Amsterdam's oldest cinema: it opened in 1912 as Bioscoop Tavenu, and its Art Deco main auditorium dates from that time. Its current name goes back to the 1970s, when it grew from one screen to four. The programme mixes arthouse films, documentaries and quality mainstream releases, and the cinema's restaurant offers a film-and-pizza deal. It is a good place to end a stroll through the Jordaan.

Kriterion, the students' cinema

Kriterion, Roetersstraat 170, near Weesperplein metro station, has a unique history: it was founded on 1 June 1945 by students from the Resistance, to give students a way to pay for their studies, and opened on 6 November 1945. The building had previously been the meeting hall of a Jewish workers' association, confiscated during the occupation. To this day, students run the three screens and the café, with no hierarchy, and each academic year traditionally opens with Citizen Kane. In 2007 Kriterion founded a second cinema, Studio/K, on Timorplein (no. 62) in the east of the city, served by tram 14, with a restaurant offering a film-and-dinner deal.

Rialto, De Pijp's arthouse cinema

Rialto De Pijp, Ceintuurbaan 338, is a neighbourhood cinema more than a hundred years old, saved from closure in 1982 by a foundation. Its programme gives pride of place to films from Latin America, Asia and Africa, and one section of its listings groups together foreign-language films with English subtitles. A ticket costs €13.50; the cinema is open Monday to Saturday from 11am to 1am, and on Sunday from 12:30pm to 1am. Rialto has a second venue on the VU campus in the south of the city (De Boelelaan 1111). To explore the surrounding area, read our guide to the De Pijp neighbourhood.

Eye Filmmuseum: the film museum on the IJ

The Eye Filmmuseum, IJpromenade 1, is less than 5 minutes from Central Station on the free F3 ferry (towards Buiksloterweg), which leaves from behind the station day and night. Its four screens offer a film-archive programme: classics, retrospectives and auteur cinema. A ticket costs €13.50 (€12 for students, €8 for children up to 11), with a €2.50 surcharge for films over 150 minutes and €5 for films over 210 minutes. A film ticket gives same-day access to the permanent exhibition "What is Film?" on the lower level. Temporary exhibitions cost €16.50 and are free with the Museumkaart and for under-18s. The box office is open from 10am to 10pm Tuesday to Thursday and on Sunday, until 11pm on Friday and Saturday, and from 6pm to 10pm on Monday; the bar-restaurant, open without a ticket, has one of the finest views over the IJ.

FilmHallen, LAB111 and Het Ketelhuis: the cinemas in the west

FilmHallen, in the former tram depot

At the heart of De Hallen, a listed former tram depot, FilmHallen (Hannie Dankbaarpassage 12) opened in September 2014 with nine screens, including the Parisien screen, which claims more than a century of cinema history. Films are normally shown in their original language with Dutch subtitles, and "Expat Cinema" screenings have English subtitles. A ticket costs €13.50, €9 for students and €7.50 for children up to 12 before 5pm; payment is by card only. The Foodhallen right next door are handy for dinner before the film.

LAB111, in a former laboratory

A few streets away, LAB111 (Arie Biemondstraat 111) has occupied a former pathology laboratory since 2016. A small screen in the old chapel, LAB 8½, complements the main screens, and the Strangelove bar-restaurant, open from the morning, serves wood-fired pizzas. A ticket costs €13, by card only, and the "International Cinema" series offers films with English subtitles.

Het Ketelhuis, the home of Dutch cinema

In the former Westergas gasworks, on the edge of Westerpark, Het Ketelhuis (Pazzanistraat 4) has been based in the old boiler house since 1999. It is the go-to cinema for Dutch film, also showing European arthouse and children's films. Every Wednesday, "Ketelhuis Expat" screenings show Dutch and European films with English subtitles: a chance to see a Dutch film and actually understand it. A ticket costs €13.50 (€7.50 up to age 17), by card only, and the restobar with terrace is open from 10am to 1am.

Around Leidseplein and the multiplexes

Leidseplein has two cinemas. Pathé City (Kleine-Gartmanplantsoen 15-19) has seven screens, and Cinecenter (Korte Leidsedwarsstraat 10) four small arthouse screens, all underground and therefore not wheelchair accessible. In the centre, Pathé De Munt (Vijzelstraat 15) has thirteen screens, including a Dolby Cinema screen and a 4DX screen with moving seats. For IMAX, head south-east to Pathé Arena (Johan Cruijff Boulevard 600), which opened the first IMAX screen in the Netherlands in 2005. At Pathé, surcharges are €3 for IMAX or Dolby Cinema, €5.50 for 4DX and €1.50 for 3D; on Mondays, students pay €9. In Amsterdam-Noord, FC Hyena (Aambeeldstraat 24), a small cinema on the IJ with a restaurant and a terrace, rounds out the options.

Festivals and open-air cinema

• Imagine Film Festival: the fantastic film festival runs from 29 October to 8 November 2026, at FilmHallen, LAB111 and Hal West.
• IDFA: the International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam, one of the largest in the world, takes place from Thursday 12 to Sunday 22 November 2026; general ticket sales open on 28 October at noon.
• Pluk de Nacht: every summer, this open-air film festival sets up at the Stenen Hoofd on the IJ; the 2026 edition took place from 19 to 29 August.

Cinemas are also a good option in bad weather: find more ideas in our guide to what to do in Amsterdam when it rains.

Passes and subscriptions: worth it for a visitor?

The Cineville pass gives unlimited access to more than 80 independent cinemas in the Netherlands, including FilmHallen and LAB111, for €24 a month (€19 under 30). But it requires a four-month commitment and a first payment via iDEAL, the Dutch banks' payment system: it is not suited to a short stay. Pathé Unlimited subscriptions, from €23 a month, are also aimed at residents. For a stay of a few days, buy individual tickets.

Summary table

Prices checked in October 2026; card payment only at most cinemas.

Further reading

To carry on the evening after the film, see our guide to Amsterdam at night; for theatre, concerts and shows, read concerts and shows in Amsterdam. And to reach the outlying cinemas by tram, metro or ferry, our guide to getting around Amsterdam explains everything.