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Cinemas

Akaroa Cinema

📍 Akaroa, Canterbury

★4.5(79 Google reviews)💰$$

Reel Cinema Akaroa is a boutique cinema in central Akaroa with two small theatres offering tiered seating and a quality sound system. An attached café serves coffee, cabinet food, and pizza including vegan options.

✓ boutique cinema✓ tiered seating✓ attached café✓ friendly staff✓ free parking✓ vegan options✓ pram access

🏆 Family Action Verdict

Reviewers describe the Akaroa Cinema as a genuinely warm and welcoming experience, with staff who actively look after their guests. The boutique scale means the experience feels personal rather than transactional, and the attached café with its hill views makes it a comfortable place to spend time before and after screenings.

ℹ️ What to Know Before You Go

💡Free parking on site with pram access
⏰The attached café serves food and coffee - vegan cheese pizza available
🎟️WiFi available in the café
🚗Located next to the Akaroa public library on Selwyn and Rue Jolie South

💬 What Families Are Saying

View all reviews →
4.5
★★★★★

79 Google reviews

5★
58
4★
13
3★
2
2★
2
1★
4

G Reviews from Google

K

Karmen Khor

a month ago

★★★★★

“We had such a wonderful experience at the Odyssey, made even more special by the beautiful setting and atmosphere of this incredible place. A special shout-out to the cinema Duty Manager, Mr Mark Bruce, for going above and beyond to make our experience truly memorable. His warm hospitality, attentiveness and willingness to go the extra mile really stood out. It’s not often you come across someone who takes such genuine pride in making guests feel welcomed and well looked after. Thank you Mark, for making our Odyssey experience even more enjoyable. Your exceptional service truly made a difference and is a great reflection of the wonderful hospitality here. We really appreciate everything you did and hope the team receives the recognition they deserve!”

H

Hannah Beazley

3 months ago

★★★★★

“Lovely little cinema. Big thanks to Curt who was very hospitable :)”

M

Megan Andrews

3 years ago

★★★★★

“I am a vegan. This is not hard to cater for. After trying 4 other restaurants, we finally came here. They have vegan cheese, which can be used on their pizza. And the lovely people running the place said they will always have a vegan salad available. It was a good-looking salad at that. Service was fantastic and the food was really good. I had the small margherita pizza, which was delicious and more that enough for dinner. We got it as a takeaway. Thanks so much to the crew at Ethels for having great vegan food in a town that seems lacking. Vegans looking for a feed? Come here first, you won't be disappointed.”

📊 Commonly mentioned in Google reviews

Based on Google review tags

Coffee

5 reviews

Film selection

4 reviews

Accommodating staff

4 reviews

Has Wi-Fi

3 reviews

Cute cinema

2 reviews

Overview

Reel Cinema Akaroa (formerly Ethels) operates two intimate theatres in central Akaroa with tiered seating and a well-regarded sound system. The attached café serves coffee, cabinet food, and pizza with vegan cheese available, creating a relaxed pre- and post-film space with views of the surrounding hills. The cinema offers free parking and pram access, and sits next to the public library on the corner of Selwyn and Rue Jolie South.

🕐 Opening Hours

Tuesday09:30-20:00
Wednesday09:30-20:00
Thursday09:30-22:00
Friday09:30-22:00
Saturday09:30-22:00
Sunday09:30-20:00

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