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The oldest single-screen theatre in Melbourne, the Astor in St Kilda has accumulated the kind of reputation every cinema dreams of – and a loyal fan base to boot. It’s a cinema in the grand, old manner, being in continuous operation since 1936. Beautiful gold curtains frame the screen; the entire experience feels like you’ve flashbacked to old Hollywood. The classic auditorium theatre boasts a program of new and classic films in 35mm, 70mm and digital formats and it’s a cultural hub for movie fans, with double features, remastered classics, new and independent movies, film festivals and special events. The cinema has its very own cat, Duke, who sometimes visits cinemagoers during films and can often be seen padding around the carpeted halls. The Astor's own story could be the stuff of Hollywood, as the Art Deco building has been under threat from developers many times throughout its long years. Its most recent saviour was indie chain Palace Cinemas, which purchased the building in 2015 and remains committed to keeping the cinema as a single-screen picture house.  Manager Zak Hepburn has a long love of the theatre. “I grew up in Bacchus Marsh, where there was no cinema,” recalls Hepburn. “My mum first took me to the Astor to see The Beatles: Yellow Submarine. I was constantly asking my mother to drive me to the Astor, which was well over an hour and a half away, and I’ve been a regular patron ever since.” Hepburn re-affirms that Palace Cinemas is committed to maintaining the k

WHAT A TIME TO BE ALIVE.  Scrap The Oscars, The Emmys, The Tonys – the only awards that matter is The Dukes, The Astor Theatre's award show for cat videos. Named after the cinema's boss cat, who can often be often weaving his way through the lines for the candy bar or sitting on his kitty litter near the theatre entrance, the Dukes award will be an annual event and the first event will take place on Sunday October 2 at 4pm. On the day of The Dukes, feline film fans will be given score cards to vote for their favourite cat videos screened at the award event. The Astor team has put together an hour's worth of cat videos, from the obscure to the classic, featuring cats from the streets of St Kilda to the hills of LA. The results will be tallied and the audience's favourite video will be presented with the very first Dukes award. May the best moggie movie mogul* win. We have our money on this keyboard cat reincarnation.   *Ed's note: I'd very much like to make my cat Tiger (pictured below) a star, but his greatest accomplishment to date is to sit in the recycling box. We've got a bit of work to do.     Want to learn more The Astor's resident cat Duke? Check out our interview with this feline film buff. 

Every Melburnian has had the Astor Theatre programme calendar at some point, and it turns out we're not the only ones who are fans of the old-school cinema, because the Supernormal Canteen team have teamed up with the Astor to create a one-off, next level movie snack for a double feature screening of Sofia Coppola's The Beguiled and Lost in Translation on Saturday September 30.  Moviegoers going to the back-to-back screening will get a complimentary choctop based on Supernormal's most popular dessert – the peanut butter parfait. The dessert will get the cinema treatment: the creamy peanut butter parfait will be scooped into a waffle cone, covered in salted caramel and chocolate, and sprinkled with roasted peanuts.  Supernormal Canteen head chef Tim Goegan says, “We’re huge fans of Coppola and are dead excited to work with the Astor which is such an institution in St Kilda. As soon as we saw Lost in Translation on the programme, synapses started firing!” Tickets to the double feature on September 30 are just $17 each and are available from the Astor's box office or online. Go on, this is your only chance to try the Supernormal classic in choctop form. Where (and how) to get cheap cinema tickets in Melbourne.

Pop a bottle of Champagne and channel your inner Brigitte Bardot at the 35th anniversary of the Alliance Française French Film Festival. From March 6 until April 2, you can watch the best of French cinema at participating Palace Cinemas.  As the Oscars buzz begins to settle after March 11, film fanatics and casual moviegoers alike will have a cinema-shaped hole in their hearts that desperately needs filling. Luckily, the festival program will be showing a whopping 41 films (a third of which are directed by women) and is the biggest French film festival outside of, well, France.  The Opening Night Gala will be a showing of the action-packed film The Three Musketeers: D’Artagnan, playing at the Astor in St Kilda. The film was France’s biggest production and box-office success last year, with a star-studded cast, plus plenty of humour and heart-fluttering romance. Opening night will be a big one, with Champagne aplenty, delicious French food and an after-party with a DJ slinging French bangers. All of this and more is included in the ticket price. Sign us up! Other films playing during the festival include The President’s Wife starring the legendary Catherine Deneuve, feel-good comedy Iris and the Men and the 1943 French cinema classic Children of Paradise. There will also be special screenings including, the heart-warming 2010 favourite The Intouchables (which fans of the festival voted as the film they thought best encapsulates French cinema). Tickets are available from the we

Cinemas are among the many industries doing it very tough right now, but some of our favourites have just released some very cool merch, which you can buy to support them during this time (and look stylish AF while doing it).     Photograph: Lido Cinemas   Classic Cinemas in Elsternwick, Lido Cinemas in Hawthorn and Cameo Cinemas in Belgrave have released a line of T-shirts as well as branded masks that we very much covet. The Lido T-shirt was created by Melbourne artist Nick Camp, of streetwear label Candice, whose work is featured in Hawthorn institution First Product in Hawthorn Arcade. The design (pictured above) is very much influenced by the aesthetic of the cinema itself. The Lido T-shirts are $69.95 each and include a two-for-one movie pass to be used when the cinema reopens.     Photograph: Cameo Cinemas   The Cameo and Classic designs are from Sydney-based artist Michelle Shortage, who also designed shirts for the group's much-loved Sydney outpost, the Ritz in Randwick. The Cameo and Classic shirts are $45 each and do not include a cinema ticket. All three cinemas also have masks available for purchase, at $33 for two. Group marketing manager Rapha Tamir says the masks were initially something to be able to sell to customers when they returned to the cinemas, in case they forgot theirs. Each site had an initial batch of 250 masks available for sale, and Tamir says that initial run is almost sold out. The masks and T-shirts will continue to be available in the ci

After midnight at the Astor during Melbourne International Film Festival is the Witching Hour, when the respectable veneer of cinema cracks open and unspeakable things fly out. Last year they held a marathon of some of the strangest science fiction movies we've ever seen. This year, in a stroke of mad genius, they will be showing back-to-back Nicolas Cage movies.  Let that sink in for a moment. Twelve hours of non-stop Nic. He's been called the "most memeable" actor in history thanks to his maniacal turns in the likes of The Wicker Man ("Not the bees!") and Vampire's Kiss (yes, he really ate that cockroach). And we're willing to bet that those two masterpieces will be on the bill when the full program of MIFF 2018 is announced on Tuesday July 10. While you are watching the Cage-a-Thon, be sure to remind yourself from time to time that this man has won the Academy Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role. Here are some sneak peek highlights of MIFF 2018.

The Palace is back! Settle in for a palatial movie experience in all seven of Palace’s Melbourne cinemas when they reopen shortly. Yep, Balwyn, Brighton Bay, Cinema Como (and Como’s fancy platinum cinema), Dendy Brighton, Westgarth, the Astor and the Kino will be reopening their doors on July 2.  They’ll be screening flicks like Armando Iannucci’s The Death of Stalin, new release The Personal History of David Copperfield and the Elisabeth Moss-led biopic Shirley.  To get you really excited, Palace cinemas are selling $2 takeaway choc tops in a variety of Connoisseur flavours at each cinema in the days leading up to reopening, from June 25 to July 1. Plus, Movie Club members can sign up for heavily discounted eTicket bundles (five for only $40) right now.  Head to the website for more info. Here are all the other things reopening in Melbourne soon.  Time Out’s Love Local campaign is supporting local food, drink and culture businesses in Melbourne. Find out how you can help save the places that make our city great.

If you're a film buff, student, skint broke or a cheap date, then we've some good news for you: Palace Cinemas are selling $5 tickets to all their films for a whole week. Starting this Thursday, August 9, Palace Cinemas are selling every ticket to every film for a measly $5.  Just let that information sink in for a bit – you can get a $5 ticket to ANY film at ANY one of Melbourne's six Palace Cinema venues (excluding the Kino) for a whole week. There's never been a better reason to switch off those reruns of The Office, put down the remote and actually see some new releases. The cheap week is to celebrate the launch of Palace Cinemas' new rewards club, which gives members access to daily discounts, birthday specials and free tickets on joining. Catch a hot new blockbuster like The Incredibles 2 or see something a little bit more arthouse. The $5 tickets are available from August 9 to 15 at Palace Balwyn, Palace Brighton Bay, Palace Cinema Como, Palace Dendy Brighton, Palace Westgarth and the Astor Theatre.  For more film-fun check out our top pick for MIFF 2018.  Or keep the cheap times rolling with a FREE chicken burger from Sonny's.