Light House Cinema

I love the lighthouse. For one reason they show movies that don’t suck, as in they usually avoid the latest big budget cookie-​cutter blockbuster movies. They will also occasionally show some older movies so that people can enjoy them on the big screen. My only complaint is sometimes they tend to crank the volume a bit high in the theatre. I’m not sure why this is, maybe the crowd they usually get is a bit hard of hearing but on more than one occasion we have commented on how loud the movie we are watching is. Which is odd since we are not going to watch action and explosion filled movies.

What’s not to like? This charming little cinema has everything you could wish for — great indie movies, comfortable seating, a cute little café/​bar area (I haven’t tried the food but it sure looks good and you can get the usual icecream/​popcorn cinema standards too) and really friendly staff. Maybe you won’t find the latest blockbusters showing here but there’s always a good choice of movies out, with the occasional special film night as well.

I love this cinema and would only go here if I could! The seats are nice, the theatre is basically kid free, and the tickets are a good price!
They have a good selection of movies — new, indie, old, etc. They even have monthly screenings of old movies that you should definitely check out! I saw Risky Business there not too long ago!
The theatre also has a full bar and snacks! It’s a very adult answer to the Omniplex on a Saturday night.

One of my favourite places in Dublin for so many reasons.
I suppose the obvious one is its a cinema. And a comfy funky modern one that has a feel of an art gallery about it. Not just a usual cinema showing the latest blockbusters but a wide selection of independent and foreign movies.
Seats are comfy and spacious in each screen.
Really nice café upstairs that serves a great selection of sandwiches, cakes and of course where you can get the obligatitory popcorn (unless of course you’re like me and can’t stand salty and only want sweet. When will ireland cop on to this??)
Downstairs is a funky little space with a bar that I could quite happily go and sit and buy a drink from and stay there without even going to see a film. Great selection of beers and wines which of course you can take into the film with you. Happy days :)

Hands down my favourite cinema in Dublin! The lighthouse is the perfect balance between art-​house and mainstream, offering everything from the latest blockbusters to independent features from home and abroad. Their themed movie seasons and fancy dress parties are hugely popular and great fun, and on occassion give you the chance to catch some classic movies again on the big screen.
The seats are super comfortable, with plenty of leg room, which will always help make a movie-​going experience that bit more pleasant, in my opinion.
With its tasty café (really reasonable prices), bar area and relaxed, welcoming atmosphere, the Lighthouse always makes for a top notch afternoon or evening outing.

This place is an absolute gem. The seats are so comfy, there’s plenty of leg room, the staff are always great and the ticket/​concession prices are a winner!
They always have a great mix of indie and blockbuster films and they’re mini festivals/​event screenings are brilliant fun.

The top floor is a nice café and light, airy corridor where they sell the tickets, then venture down into the depths to the underground screens, all big colourful comfy chairs and perfectly distanced screens, so you’ll never have neck problems.
The lowest floor is the bar and the biggest screens, where you can get a generous helping of wine in a plastic glass for 5:50 and bring it in with you to your movie of choice with your artisan nibbles.
The best thing about this place is the crowd; everyone is respectful and love their films and this has a decidedly cooler vibe than the IFI. The Light House is the best place in Dublin to catch your Irish movies, as it’s run by Element, our biggest distributors, so every ticket is supporting local film!
Make sure to make this your venue of choice if you’re doing any film festivals as it remains the best space for mingling and chatting to other film nerds.

Great place to relax on a Sunday evening and recharge the batteries. Good selection of movies, big screens, comfy chairs. You can have a quick drink before a movie, and you can even take your drink with you to watch the movie! There’s a ping pong table and overall, I always have feeling like I am in hostel. Tickets are much cheaper than in competitive cinemas. And there is a student discount.

The seats are sooooo comfy. This is a lovely little cinema. Very unique and arty. They show quirky films when once I like to enjoy.
Great big screens and you don’t have the kids heckling in the back like in some other cinemas. Bit of class is always nice.

Favourite cinema in town. Has a café for coffee or nibbles before and there is also a bar down stairs. Price is reasonable and they have a loyalty card. Also they have mother and baby show times and deals during the week!

Absolutely gorgeous cinema, so comfortable and cool looking, and I LOVE that you can purchase a beer and bring it in as your movie drink!
The movies are more diverse and not necessarily ones you might find in the likes of the bigger cinemas around Dublin, but that’s not to say they don’t show those too! You definitely can find a wider variety here which is great.
They often hold Q&A’s with directors and actors/​actresses which is also really cool!
Keep an eye out on their Facebook or email subscription to get the latest updates for what’s on and who might be coming too.

Loved it here! Staff were lovely, venue is stunning! Very modern! I recently saw the hateful 8 (which is worth a watch) and I love everything about this cinema! No sticky carpets, no queue’s and no has sell! Staff were lovely and you can also buy beer and spirits here!

Best cinema I’ve ever been to. The staff are so friendly and the atmosphere is so relaxing. The cinema has a coffee shop and bar. Outside there is a nice restaurant called My Meat Wagon, go there before starting the movie.

It’s just such a fabulous space, and I had fresh appreciation of the Light House cinema recently when we brought the kids to see Older than Ireland. Given the predominance of the ‘Plex’ experience nowadays, it was something of an eye-​opener for them to enter an art house cinema, about as far a model as you can get to what they’re used to. And they loved it.
It’s an incredible space to begin with, and children are the world’s best at really engaging with the spaces around them. All those slanted ceilings — they were right in there, enjoying the spaces most of us just gaze into as we pass, and wonder who actually ever uses the sofas they accommodate.
Then there’s the games space, including table tennis, bean bags, cluedo etc. Fantastic.
It’s a stunning resource on the northside of the city, one everyone should make it their business to visit.

How cool can a cinema be? Light House Cinema will show you. Honestly this place looks like it’s a sci-​fi set come alive. Undeniably the best cinema/​bar combo experience in Ireland. Try it.

I really enjoy this cinema. It has a bit of the avant garde charm to it. I think it is really cool for some friends night out, to get there, get a drink, chill in the lounge zone, watch a movie in comfy seats and then hang out at the square where the cinema is situated.
They have café on the first floor if you want to get brownies and coffee, and a bar on the ground floor for drinks. I even enjoyed the wine selection they have. I will definitely be coming back.

Another one of my favorite spots in Dublin! I am so glad this place is doing well again. It closed down for a while a few years ago. It’s just what Dublin needs film wise. The IFI is lovely and has so much charm to it, but it is a bit snobby and pretentious and full of sexagenarians (nothing wrong with that, just not exactly where I fit in).
At the Light House you really feel the love of films rather than film snobbery. The creativity of the retrospectives and marathons gather massive crowds of all ages these days. I love that some of the indie movies just stay on here for an extra few weeks just so that you don’t miss them. They also seem to do a good job of supporting Irish films by promoting them and selling a good selection on DVD.
On top of all the film love, the space is lovely and modern and you really feel like you could just come and hang out here on a rainy afternoon, grab a tea or a craft beer and play some ping pong before a retrospective. The screening rooms themselves are really nice, never too small, and the chairs are comfy.
If you love your movies and are not much of a film snob, venture out to Smithfield rather than go to the IFI. Check out their website as well seeing as they are sure to have some wacky programming going on top of the usual film openings.
I would recommend getting their loyalty card because they offer a number of free tickets with it that end up paying for the card entirely. Plus you get to choose a free DVD (basically obsolete these days though) from their collection.

My all-​time favourite cinema in Dublin. It’s super stylish and sleek, while also managing to feel cosy and relaxed. They have a café at the entrance which is pretty nice — I’ve met friends there without even going into the cinema itself.
They mostly show arty, less commercial films here, so you won’t always find every new release. They do tend to show lots of older films, which is very cool. I recently went to a showing of Back to the Future, which was of course awesome on the big screen. They also hold lots of different film events (Kubrick Season, Tarantino Season, etc), premieres, Q&As with Directors after screenings and so on.
The screens themselves are good, the seats are plush and roomy, one or two of the rooms have multicoloured seats which are very cool! Another cool little feature is that the Light House has its own bar, and you are permitted to bring your drinks with you into the movie.

THE best cinema in Dublin, no doubt. It has all the good stuff: comfortable seats, good screens, a varied movie selection and even popcorn!
The space is airy and colourful, with large open halls and minimalistic décor. There are multiple cosy areas spread out across the building where you can sit with a coffee while you wait. It’s a very nice setting to mingle with the crowd during film festivals or movie marathons! The kids seem to love running up and down the colourful cushioned steps.
There’s a bar upstairs with plenty of choice of food and drink, including alcohol — nice especially if you consider it’s a cinema — and I like that they also sell reasonably sized and priced portions of popcorn — I, or even a small kid, definitely don’t need a massive bucket of popped corn to get us through a movie. There’s also a small area outside before the door where you can sit with your food or drink.
Like in other cinemas, you can buy the tickets online and easily pick them up with your card. The only downside to this is that many of the screenings don’t have allocated seating, so you still need to get there early to sit where you prefer.
If you are looking for European/​independent films, you will be in good hands wether you choose the IFI or this cinema — the titles are pretty much the same on both places -, but I must say the Lighthouse venue is slightly better, feels less crammed and better organized in general.
Round of applause, Lighthouse :)

Like classic movies on the big screen and the odd artsy flick? The lighthouse is for you!
I live very close to the cinema and have spent many an evening playing wii on the bottom floor of the cinema, ping/​pong on one of the many table tennis, or chilling with a few drinks in the bar/​café with a few mates before the film begins.
The lighthouse hosts not only interesting and obscure movies such as the première of movies such as Frank with Q&A’s from the director but would have seasons every few weeks such as a a Bill Murray season which is currently showing with many classics or a Coen Brothers season or even a Kubrick season.
It is not overpriced and has lovely staff and INCREDIBLY comfortable seating which is a must for a long movie! It is the best cinema I have ever been to and I would urge anyone reading this to give it a go!