What makes a special cinema? A colossal IMAX screen, Dolby ATMOS sound and cutting-edge 4K projectors are all great, but there’s something more that makes a great temple of cinema – a sense of occasion and storytelling that starts before you’ve even grabbed your popcorn and taken your seat.
Time Out’s list of the 50 Beautiful Cinemas in the World has been unveiled for 2025, and it reveals that the UK has more than its share of gorgeous picture houses.
Featuring on the list are seven UK cinemas, including the Shetland Islands’s Mareel, the most northerly picture house in the country, and the Everyman Bath (formerly the Tivoli), an opulent West Country venue that’s been keeping the city in new movies since 2018.
There are five London cinemas on the list. Curzon Bloomsbury, Mile End’s Genesis Cinema, BFI Southbank and Hackney’s Rio Cinema all feature. The highest ranking UK cinema on the list is Notting Hill’s ultra-luxe The Electric, which sits at number 5.
Also featured is a venue in Ireland: Dublin’s Stella Cinema Rathmines, Time Out’s current pick as the UK and Ireland’s finest cinema, which comes in at 14.
Read the full list of the 50 most beautiful cinemas in the world here.
The 50 best cinemas in the UK and Ireland.
The best new films of 2025 (so far).