Dunbar Theatre

The Dunbar Theatre combines the best of the old with the best of the new with plenty of good and a little bad. The old and the good are the buttery popcorn at prices from decades past and free street parking as you are in a residential ‘hood along a commercial strip. The new are the big comfy seat that allows one to recline back and relax with plenty of leg room. The bad is that it can be challenging to coordinate a trip to the Dunbar given the uncertainty of the scheduling of movies and only one viewing screen. This is a minor inconvenience which can be addressed thru a little planning.
TIP: Front row balcony are the best seats in the house but one has to get there early to secure them.

Love, love, love this place! Awesome popcorn, great seats, and fantastic people running the show.

I love Dunbar Theatre for its super yummy popcorn, super comfy seats and lots of leg room. I come here for everything I love.
One thing I am not too happy with is that since its a one screen cinema, it sometimes doesn’t show movies that I want to watch. We also don’t know what the movies would be until a few days before. It’s a bit frustrating when I’m trying to watch a specific movie with friends.

You want the real deal in movie experiences? Because this place has «IT». Yes, «IT», that nostalgic feel of what it must have been like before all the fancy jiggly seats, the screens spanning wider than the eye can see, and the abundant concession items with suggary popcorn flavours. Not that theres anything at all wrong with the fancy doohickies, but this place, how should I put it? The new age theatres are like mid grade Vodka, they do the trick, they’re enjoyed by most, lead to fun times, but best going down fast. Whereas Dunbar is like aged Whiskey, the good stuff, meant to be savoured slowly and with a side of introspection, maybe not for everyone, yet, but really worth the time to get to know it and fall in love it.
I doubt anything has changed décor wise since it was first razed but that just adds to its charm. The ticket prices are reasonable, the seats are amazingly comfy and the balcony is pure perfection. And don’t worry, I’m not forgetting the popcorn. They tout their popcorn as being the best in Vancouver. I disagree.
It is the best in BC from my experience. THE BEST popcorn. Always hot, always bursting with buttery flavour and salted to perfection. Portion size? Enough that you’ll want for nothing. Cheese topping you say? TRAVESTY! Take your sinful words to downtown! You’ll be lucky to get through the first ¼ of the movie without putting yourself into the most wonderous popcorn induced food ecstacy. I’m lucky if I get throught the first 10 minutes without devouring the whole thing.
Wrapping this up, I always have the fear that this place will go the way of all the other amazing theatres we used to have and pack up shop to be replaced by more condos. So I send out a plea for everyone to see (I’m rhyming…) make Dunbar your next uhhhhh… uhhhh… Funbar!

I love this little neighbourhood theatre! Cushy seats and delicious popcorn, paired with very wallet-​friendly prices make this a winner. The staff are always very nice too.
I want it to be a wee bit busier so it stays open forever, but not TOO busy! I still want my cushy seat with legroom to spare!