El Dorado 8 Cinema

Love this place! It’s on the smaller side of movie theatres… Which means, it’s also less crowded and more cozy (if you like that sorta thing).
The theatre is just around the corner from Indooroopilly mall (and across from the Indooroopilly train station). Me and wifey usually hit up the JK (Indian) Restaurant before heading here for dinner and a movie.
The snacks are good. But why doesn’t AU theatres have butter for the popcorn??? Sometimes you just want some unhealthy food… But it’s the same in other theatres I’ve been to here so…
4 out of 5 stars, compared to other movies theatres I’ve been to. Sound quality isn’t the ‘best’ but it’s completely adequate and never as busy or crowded as Event Cinemas can be. It’s me and wifey’s preferred go-​to as indoor movie theatres go.
PROS:
Cost — cheapest in the area (plus student discounts)
Often less crowded or busy than Event Cinemas in the mall
CONS:
Sound/​screen. At least one of the screens had some ‘scratch’ on it that was a bit distracting while watching a movie. And there’s been ‘technical difficulties’ a couple of times.
Not the ‘best’ but perfectly adequate for enjoying a movie on the large screen.

My favourite cinema in Brisbane, let’s keep the little guys alive! This place is cheap as chips and super cute, they aren’t fancy or money hungry, there is a huge underground parking space and the chairs are always clean and comfortable. The candy bar is cheap and so are the tickets (like $ 7 something for a student)! Plus it’s close to cold rock and a bunch of cute restaurants and only a few steps away from the train!
If I still lived down that way it would be our go to cinema (and it was before we left) forget Event cinemas at Indooroopilly shopping centre and it’s conglomerate crap ($ 20 for a ticket — BLEGH) and walk a few meters down the street to experience a simpler kind of night out :)

Yes, El Dorado is cheaper than the big chain multiplexes, but you get what you pay for. The underground carpark is tight, the interior of the complex cramped, and the screen much smaller than in a larger multiplex (or at least, it was for the movie I saw). Moreover, in my view a business that won’t accept credit cards is living on borrowed time. My idea of customer service is to make life easy for patrons, not tell them to go to the ATM around the corner. I agree that it’s remarkable El Dorado has survived, but sorry, I don’t share the nostalgia for days past. I’d rather pay more for the big screens, spacious foyer and better facilities at the big chain multiplexes.

The El Dorado cinema complex is a great alternative to the big cinemas franchises that charge close to $ 20 per film. Whenever I go to El Dorado, it is because I am tight on cash and after some cheap entertainment. El Dorado is probably the cheapest cinema complex in the Western suburbs.
There are a few downsides to this place; the screens are smaller than other cinemas, as are the seats, and films do not screen as often. But, if there is a film I would really like to see but can’t afford to go to a big cinema franchise, then I will gladly go to El Dorado Cinema and overlook the small downsides.
And now for the good points; on Tuesdays, you can see films for as cheap as $ 7! Also, this cinema gets a lot less crowded so you will hardly ever have to worry about a film screening selling out, nor will you have to share a room with loud teenagers.
I would recommend the El Dorado 8 Cinema to anyone who is looking for an affordable cinema in the western suburbs.

I tend to forget that El Dorado even exits in Indooroopilly, overshadowed by the bigger chains nearby. But unlike said chain cinema, El Dorado is rarely filled with annoying teenagers squealing over Jacobs abs in Twilight and talking over the movies. There is something about independent cinemas that just draws audiences that are that little bit more respectful.
El Dorado is quaint and a little bit daggy but that is why I like it. The tickets are cheap and the cinemas comfortable. They show many of the big budget films around but then occasionally through an independent or foreign film into the mix. There is parking underneath and it is right across from the train station. They are a lovely cinema that I should probably go to more often than I do and highly recommend that you do too.

It’s a miracle to me that El Dorado 8 still exists. This was the cinema we always went to when I was a kid (early 90’s) because they had shop a docket deals and my mum was always pretty thrifty. It still feels like a cinema from your childhood, it has all the right smells (popcorn, carpet and that intangible smell of film) but it doesn’t have the screaming children and hostile groups of teenagers that haunt the big cinema up the road.
Come on cheap Tuesday and the ticket prices are pretty much still straight from the 90’s too, I would suggest smuggling in snacks if you don’t like paying a fortune for snacks. Just don’t try and bring in Red Rooster chips like I did once, the smell is a dead giveaway…

If you’re after the movies, and don’t want to pay the mortgage on your house to see something… head down the road from the big guns to the small guns of this cinema. The prices are cheap, if you’re lucky you have a frequent movie card that get’s you even cheaper movies… and they play all that’s playing up the road.
Sure the screen may be a tad smaller, but I like the homely feel of this cinema. Not much has changed with the daggy interior from when I started coming here, they still only accept cash, the same old man is still standing there waiting to rip your ticket (you must follow the queue line even if there isn’t a queue or he will make you re-​walk your ticket ripping route).
This place is a bit of Indooroopilly history. It’s right across from the train station so it’s easy to get to if you’re taking public transport. There is also a Baskin Robbins right next door and a café up the road for pre or post cinema experience.
The candy bar here is okay, it has your popcorn and standard range of candy and iced coke… but it is pretty expensive still.
Great little place to watch your favourite movie without having to fight people for your designated seat number.

I like watching movies but I’m getting annoyed about how much the ticket prices have skyrocketed since I was a wee whippersnapper. And they think movie piracy is a crime, poppycock I say!
Thankfully there is still a small, independently run cinema in my area that I can visit when I just need to see something on the big screen (read: Jason Mamoa half naked in Conan the Barbarian).
El Dorado 8 is not fancy, it’s not large, it’s not your run of the mill corporately owned cinema. What it is however is quaint, old-​school, and a little charming, and reminiscent of it’s roots in the swinging 60’s. Got to love the decedent yesteryear movie title board out the front.
They play all the latest movies on offer but none in 3D, so if you really want to see things jump out of the screen, this is not the place for you. The cinemas themselves are comfortable enough and the red leather chairs that have been well maintained.
The staff are friendly enough and the candy bar is well stocked. Unfortunately the price of weight gain has gone up, so it’s still cheaper to bring your own purchases in, but if you just want popcorn and a drink expect to pay around $ 7 – 10.
The tickets are still the winner though, as they are cheaper than most in town: adults pay $ 11.50 ($ 7 on cheap Tuesdays), children 2 – 15 years old pay $ 8.50 ($ 5.50 on Tuesdays) and students pay $ 8.50 ($ 5.50 on Tuesdays). UQ student? pay $ 7.50 on normal days ($ 5.50 on Tuesdays) with presentation of your card!
Just remember: cash only. But there is a Commonwealth ATM machine inside the cinema which takes all cards.
Support your local, independently owned cinema!