Rialto

Isn’t weird how we sit in a darkened room with a bunch of strangers, possibly having the same thoughts and experiences as we hide from the world and watch moving pictures ?
I feel like the Rialto has been there for so long, I can’t remember what was there before there was the cinemas .
But that’s not a bad thing, Screening a lot of your independent films and sometimes Opera extravaganzas .
I can’t say anything about any food or drinks, but the seats were comfy enough and there was none of that allocated seating nonsense .
As someone who just likes going to the flicks, films, cinema, pictures, theatre, movies I’m sure I’ll be returning.

I’ve been a Rialto fan since my Scarfie days and over a decade later, it’s still my favourite cinema — with the exception of the Embassy and Lighthouse theater in Wellington, of course!
So what makes Rialto cinemas so special? Let’s see… comfy seats, nice snacks and the fact that they are both in a great location is worth a mention but what it really comes down to, is the selection of what you can expect to see! Rialto cinemas not only screen some of the better quality Hollywood movies and film festival material but more importantly, they offer a wonderful season of Metropolitan Opera, Shakespeare globe plays and art exhibition screenings. They are bloody marvelous! I have just been to see the Vincent Van Gogh Exhibition screening and it was brilliantly done! I felt like I was right back in front of my favourite Van Gogh paintings at the museum in Amsterdam.

They’ve recently renovated Rialto and I’ve got to say it’s looking pretty flash, a little jazzy, but overall pretty flash!
As far as cinema chains go, i’d say Rialto is probably my favourite. They tend to show the most interesting range of movies — not just the big time blockbusters — and they support a lot of the smaller film festivals too.
Another major drawcard for me is their scoop ice cream. It’s not that pre-​scooped choc-​dipped stuff but rather scoop-​as-​you-​choose, straight-​from-​the-​tub goodness.

My favourite movie theatre, in my next Suburb. With comfie seats in smaller cinema’s. This one doesn’t tend to have a lot of children which is great for the noise factor. You can take coffee, wine or even a cheese platter into the movie. They do nicer ice cream freshly scooped at the time too. They offer once a month a ‘Film for Foodies’ which is great and you get a glass of wine, nibbles and a good goodie bag. Go here to see your next movie.

Rainy days, windy days and boring days are all solved by a visit and the chance to escape from the world at the Rialto. It’s probably the most reliable cinema in town, because it shows a mixture of art house, festival and better quality Hollywood movies. There’s a lovely snack bar that serves wine and Kapiti ice creams. The service is usually good and the daytime crowd of pensioners offer an opportunity for you to feel young again. Love this place!

I love movies. Half the reson I like them so much is because they transport you to another place, and for that 2 hoursish, you forget where you are and what’s going on with you. But, before you get into the movie, it makes a big difference what environment the theatre creates for you.
Rialto feels like a balance between a chain brand of cinema and a boutique one. This is good. It makes it feel like a special experience that’s a little bit fancy, while also not being hugely expensive.
The Rialto New Market has a great selection of movie foods and drinks, including beer and wine. The service is really professional, and a bit more upmarket than the places you go in 4^th form for your first date with like 13 other people.
The seats are large and comfortable, and the cinemas themselves are a good size.
Rialto also shows a number of alterntaive movies, and is one of the locations during the New Zealand Film Festival.

Rialto is a boutique cinema located on Broadway, Newmarket. It’s more intimate and more highbrow than your average cinema with a nicely decorated café and bar area where you can indulge a little before your movie, and nice small theatres with ludicrously comfortable red seats. Rialto’s real appeal is its movie selection which mixes mainstream films with art house and indie films — a lot of the stuff on offer here you simply can’t get at Hoyts or Event. Makes for an altogether more interesting night out at the movies (but also a little more expensive).

Rialto has a great selection of movies on offer, and at ten dollars on a Tuesday you can’t really go wrong… unless, of course you take your friend from up north to a french language romantic comedy.
A big positive for Rialto for me is the restaurants in the mall surounding it, especially the mexican one down the far end. Nothing like having a good taco before going to see a good movie. The food in the cinema itself is nothing to write home about, but I go for the movie, not the snacks.

$ 10 Tuesdays is our regular date with Rialto. The cinemas are small and intimate and they show a good mix of mainstream and indie/​foreign films.
And being able to take a glass of wine into the theatre only makes a movie that much better.

I only come here for the films. (Let’s be honest, cinemas can never be trusted for food/​coffee and when you’re in an area like New Market, there are much better, cheaper places to go). It’s got a great choice, often getting in certain movies that were held at the Film Festival that year. They host international film festivals as well (French and Hong Kong cinema from what I recall). If you go on Tuesdays all tickets are $ 10. They sometimes have food evenings as well, with the opening night of a foodie movie you can pay extra for drinks and nibbles.

Rialto cinema is an attractive cinema that offers an extensive range of screenings, bringing to Auckland otherwise overlooked film festivals. Chirpy French pop played matched to their current French film festival while the current Hollywood hype was advertised beside screening from The Metropolitan Opera.
And it is ONLY because of this range in movies that I would give this venue anything above a 1 star rating.
While paying almost double the amount of other cinemas, expect service that is nothing short of a teenage bowling alley. Uncleared tables. A caffeinated decaf coffee. Ignored during a 10 minute interval in the movie. No to mention our exquisite opera was preluded with music by a rapper and a Spice Girl. Staff seemed to lack product knowledge, management or incentive so that their lethargic attitude left a bad taste in our mouth and an empty space in our bellies.
Now if only there was some way of downloading movies and viewing them in the comfort of your own home…

These boutique cinemas are a nice escape from the mainstream cinema. Beside the different films on offer, the entire experience is more pleasurable. Rialto Cinemas have their own bar and café so before the movie you can sit and enjoy a drink or if you’re hungry order off their small plates menu, all of which can then be taken into the film. Rialto also have Kapiti ice cream and sorbet, the berry sorbet is divine! The seats in the cinemas are big and comfy making it a bit more intimate and you get a wooden side table to sit your drinks and food on not awkward cup holders. If I can see a film here rather than Event I will.