Guide
Going to the cinema in Germany
A short guide for a first visit, or for a visit with friends from abroad.
Language and subtitles
Most foreign films in Germany are shown dubbed into German. Alongside them there are original-version screenings: OV (original version), OmU (original with German subtitles) and OmeU (original with English subtitles). Evenitto marks screenings in the original English or with English subtitles ENGLISH.
Not every cinema shows original versions, and children's films are mostly dubbed. If a film plays in more than one version, check the version on the cinema's ticket page before you buy.
Tickets and seats
Many cinemas sell numbered seats, so you pick yours when you buy. Tap a time on Evenitto to go to the cinema's own ticket page. Evenitto does not sell tickets.
The time listed is the start of the programme. Most cinemas show adverts and trailers first, so the film itself often begins ten to twenty minutes later.
New films open on a Thursday in Germany (the Kinostart). Many cinemas also have a cheaper cinema day (Kinotag), often on a Tuesday or Wednesday.
Arthouse cinemas
Alongside the big multiplexes (e.g. CineStar, Cinemaxx, UCI, Cineplex or Kinopolis), Germany has many arthouse cinemas (Programmkinos): smaller, often independent cinemas with arthouse and festival films, new directors and classics, often with a talk after the film.
Arthouse cinemas are listed with the cinemas on Evenitto, and each one links to its own page.
One-off screenings
Besides new releases, cinemas show one-off screenings: opera and ballet from London and New York, theatre broadcasts, concert films and other live events, sneak previews and film festivals. They have their own page.