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2020 note: we’ve updated the below list of Prague’s underground cinemas with some newly-opened options, but due to the COVID-19 situation in Prague many live events are currently on hold.
A few years back, I ranked the Top 10 Cinemas in Prague. That list hasn’t changed much, though I’d bump up Bio Ponrepo, which has been recently renovated and now features an excellent little cafe.
In the warmer months, there are also a number of great Summer Cinemas in Prague that open up and allow viewers to take in a movie under the stars.
Still too mainstream? I hesitate to call all of the venues below “cinemas” given their widely divergent setups, but these alternative, off-the-beaten-path joints just might offer up a different kind of cinematic experience than Prague’s more familiar multiplexes and art houses.
You might have to lower your projection standards a bit – many of these locations will project movies from DVD sources – but they also might offer the opportunity to catch something on the (semi-) big screen that you’re unlikely to see elsewhere.
Given the nature of the venues below, schedules and availability are likely to change – check websites/Facebook pages to confirm showtimes.
Screenshot Bar
A classy cocktail bar, art gallery, and (literal) underground cinema with a screening room inside a beautifully renovated basement at Prague’s Petrske náměsti. Operated by expats, the screening schedule focuses on obscure classics and always features an English-friendly presentation. Czech classics with English subtitles are frequently served.
Autokino Strahov
Drive-in isn’t dead! In response to the COVID-19 crisis, this wonderful new drive-in was created at the grounds of Prague’s disused Strahov Stadium, the largest sports stadium in the world. You don’t need a car – there’s sitting areas for pedestrians, too.
We hope it sticks around for the future. website
Rest.art
This chill by by the Prague 4 waterfront features regular film screenings, and often includes films with English subtitles in a cozy screening area. Bartenders will even bring drinks right to your seat during the show.
NaFilm: National Film Museum
Photo: Facebook / NaFilm
Now operating outside central Prague’s Franciscan Gardens, the National Film Museum has a permanent home and a lot of fans. The project, started by Charles University students who wanted to bring classic cinema out of the archives and into public view, raised 200,000 CZK through crowdfunding to start a temporary museum across the river in 2015 before landing in its new home. While more of a museum than a cinema, English-friendly exhibitions of classic Czech films can be expected. website | facebook
The Globe Bookstore
An expat mainstay that has become known for their community events, The Globe holds a free movie screening every Sunday night. Check their Facebook page for weekly schedules. Bonus: this is one of the very few (only?) Prague venues to broadcast the late-late night (European time) Oscar telecast each year. website | facebook
Royal
Photo: Le Royal
American Center
The American Center at the U.S. Embassy in Prague holds English-friendly film screenings every Tuesday night. Free admission. website
La Fabrika
Photo: Facebook / La Fabrika
This performing arts venue is better known for their theatrical productions, but they’ll also occasionally hold a film screening. I once caught a screening of the lost masterpiece Wings of Fame, starring Peter O’Toole and Colin Firth, at La Fabrika with Czech director Otakar Votoček in attendance. website | facebook
Městská knihovna (Filmový klub MKP)
Prague’s City Library certainly isn’t an underground venue, but you may not be aware of its Film Club, which organizes monthly screenings of current films from local distributors alongside some independent fare, and projections that include a discussion. website
Filmový klub ČVUT
Photo: Facebook / Filmový klub ČVUT
Filmový klub VŠE
Cultural Centers:
French Institute – Kino 35
Photo: French Institute Prague
Goethe Institut
Cervantes Institute
In addition to a variety of other cultural events, Prague’s Spanish-language institute holds a film screening every Wednesday. website
Studio BÉLA
Photo: Facebook / Studio BÉLA
Ruské středisko vědy a kultury
Klub cestovatelů
KD Dobeška
Kino Evropský dům
KC Kaštan (Unijazz)
These underground cinemas are not current operating, but may pop back up in the future:
Cinema Royal
Photo: Facebook / Cinema Royal
Prague’s “secret” cinema. Every few months, organizers plan a screening of a mystery film in an unknown location, and leave clues for fans on Facebook and through email to discover what the film is and where the screening will be held. It looks like a lot of fun, but also seems like a lot of work. (Royal’s last six films: Seven, Alien, Total Recall, Modern Times, King Kong, and Flashdance). website | facebook
ERA Art Club
Cinema Ladislav
This super-casual Prague 7 cinema run by a garrulous proprietor (check out his blog here) screens a film per week, each following a monthly theme. Movies are announced only a few days in advance; this April’s subjects dedicated to “Salvation” have included Bergman’s Through a Glass Darkly and John Michael McDonagh’s Calvary. website | facebook
