Movie Theaters Showing Art Films in Bangkok

House RCA, Lido, Scala, Siam – Cinemas and Screen Times

Aug 16, 2009

There's more to the Thai capital than cineplexes showing Hollywood blockbusters. Here's where to see indie, foreign-language, documentary and alternative movies.

The most convenient theaters screening non-mainstream films belong to the Apex-Lido chain. These three old theaters are located in movie-mad Siam Square, easily reached from either the Siam Square or Stadium Skytrain stations. In the middle, across Rama I Road from the Siam Center, is the Lido; the three theaters here have been carved from what was once a single big theater.

The much more spacious Siam and Scala theaters are a five-minute walk away from the Lido in either direction. With a sweeping staircase leading up to a spacious waiting area and a theater that seats 900 people, the Scala lulls the viewer back to a time when seeing a movie was a dress-up experience.

As elsewhere in Asia, an "art-house film" -- or an independent or alternative movie--is very broadly defined in Thailand. It encompasses just about anything that isn't a Hollywood or Thai-made blockbuster. In fact, when a Harry Potter, Wall-E or Transformers arrives in Thailand (generally on a Thursday, and about the same day as it is released in the U.S. or Europe), it will open at an Apex-Lido theater as well.

Lido, Scala and Siam theaters

But there are always a few smaller off-beat films screening at this chain, usually in one of the Lido theaters. Each year, the more obscure Oscar-winning movies, such as a black comedies or a documentaries, play here; they wouldn't attract much of an audience in a Thai cineplex. The "best foreign film" Oscar winner is another regular. Movies made in Korea, mainland China, Hong Kong, Japan and France are also frequently shown each year.

At any given time, the three Lido theaters may be showing seven or eight films. How? A movie or two at the end of a run might be shown just once or twice per day, in the early afternoon,

If a movie soundtrack is in, say, Korean, Mandarin, Japanese or Spanish at the Lido, Siam or Scala movie theaters, subtitles are usually in both Thai and English. A Thai art film will normally have English subtitles as well. But check the posters at the theater, an English-language daily newspaper or phone the theater. The Apex-Lido website, which isn't easy to find, doesn't specify subtitles. But it it does list the screen times.

House RCA theaters

House RCA calls itself a "boutique cinema" and doesn't show blockbusters at all. The above description of an art movie fits here as well, although House RCA probably shows foreign films in a wider array of languages than Lido-Apex does. It is also a little more adventurous in its selections. It has recently shown the French- and English-language Persepolis (Iranian-French), Kurdish-language Turtles Can Fly and Cape No. 7, which has a soundtrack in Mandarin, Hokkien and Japanese.

Not counting a Tony Jaa martial arts outing, the films of the Thai art or art-ish directors most familiar to foreign viewers might also appear at House RCA or at the Lido theaters.. Apichatpong Weeasethakul, Pen-Ek Ratanaruang and Wist Sasanatieng are the best known of these directors.

The House RCA website is also tough to find on an Internet search. Make sure the browser allows the pop-up window to open. Most of this site is in Thai, but the names of films are in English (or Roman letters) and the language of subtitles is clear.

Movie Discount Cards

East of Asoke Road, RCA (for "Royal City Avenue") is a wide stretch of road between New Phetchburi Road and Rama IX Road. It is best known for its music and dance clubs frequented by affluent young Thais. House RCA is close to the New Phetchburi end, in a shopping mall with a Tops supermarket on the ground floor. The nearest subway station is Phetchburi, but still requires a taxi ride from there.

As at the Apex-Lido theaters, regular House RCA viewers should pick up a promotional card at the box office and have it stamped when buying a ticket. At both Apex-Lido and House RCA, a single ticket costs 100 baht (less than US$3), which is about 40 baht ($1) cheaper than in the city's many cineplexes. Get the card stamped on each visit; ten tickets will score a free entry on the 11th visit.

Movieseer Website and Film Blogs

There is another way to find out what's playing. Movieseer is a bilingual Bangkok-based website that lists screening times for Apex-Lido, House RCA as well as for the ultra-modern cineplexes dotted throughout the metropolitan area. (Movieseer also has branches covering movie showtimes in Singapore and Kuala Lumpur.} The Movieseer English website has been malfunctioning recently, but if it's working, go to the "Showtimes" tab. From there, one can choose by theater and see what's coming up in the next week or so.

If a film--say, that foreign-language Oscar winner or a Japanese anime--is playing at both a cineplex and one of the indie cinemas, the cineplex may well be the superior choice: with state-of-the-art screens and sound systems and cushy seats, Bangkok probably has more first-rate screening rooms than most cities in developed countries.

Most theaters in Bangkok are owned by Major Cineplex. Major includes the Siam Square's Paragon cineplex (which has an IMAX theater) and the EGB theaters. Second runner-up is SF Cinema City's theaters. SF can boast of the glossiest theaters in town; they are in the CentralWorld shopping mall, right next to the Paragon. Century the Movie Plaza a distant third.

Both Major and SF Cinema City have websites that, while not totally bilingual, clearly list the languages of the soundtrack and subtitles. Soundtracks at Century are clear enough on its website but subtitles are open to question.

The copyright of the article Movie Theaters Showing Art Films in Bangkok in Thailand Travel is owned by Susan Cunningham. Permission to republish Movie Theaters Showing Art Films in Bangkok in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.