The best movie theaters in Miami, from luxury cinemas to art-house havens

The modern solution to dinner-and-a-movie mishaps is IPIC North Miami at the Intracoastal Mall in North Miami Beach. It never fails that dinner runs over or movies end late, making the date-night combo almost impossible to execute. At IPIC, you order dinner (or lunch) from a chef-driven menu and have the option of eating at your seat or before or after the movie inside the restaurant. Plus there’s a full bar, serving mixed cocktails and craft beers, among other drinks. The movie-going experience is equally impressive, with tiered seating options (premium or premium plus) that offer perks like a personal pillow and blanket. 

The Carl Fisher-designed former City Hall hosts Miami Beach’s European-inspired cinematheque. It’s also the home of the Miami Beach Film Society, which screens independent and experimental movies, along with film classics, to an audience of just 50. Like every good alternative art house, the cinematheque is about more than movies. Art exhibits hang on the walls, and there may be music, a mini-festival or talks. Now run by O Cinema, this beautiful space encompasses a theater, gallery, bookstore/library and cafe.

This 141-seat theater opens seven days a week to bring Miami's moviegoers the finest American and international independent features. The Gables Art Cinema caters to the movie buff, showing black and white versions of hits like Mad Max: Fury Road and offering Dunkirk in 70mm. They also show much-loved cinema classics so that audiences can experience them on the big screen, and host special programs and film festival events.

This (temporarily closed) luxurious multiplex typically features blockbusters and up to three non-Hollywood films at a time. If you want to avoid being stuck between the many groups of teenagers who consider this a regular weekend hangout, opt for whatever’s playing at one of the four Premier screens, which boast overstuffed leather chairs, tray tables and a gourmet menu for noshing while you watch. Cinépolis’ convenient online reservation system, which let’s you pick your seat in advance, makes this a favorite of holiday moviegoers, film buffs catching a selection from the annual Miami International Film Festival and anyone else who’d rather spend their afternoon browsing the CocoWalk shops below than waiting in line for a seat.

One of a handful of gatekeepers of 35mm film in Miami, Nite Owl Theater is a private, members-only joint that only permits non-members to its screenings via reservations or, when space allows, from the walk-up ticket line. With more than 200 midnight shows screened throughout the city, from Gramps to the now-shuttered O Cinema and beyond, it can be tricky to pin down this movie house run by the Secret Celluloid Society. But if the perfectly fuzzy glow of real-life film really gets you off, it’s definitely worth keeping up with Nite Owl via their social media.

Originally opened in 1926, Tower Theater is an architectural and historical gem in the heart of Little Havana. And, luckily, this theater is more than just a landmark. Miami Dade College has partnered with this historic cinema to present new films from Cuba and other Latin American countries, as well as shorts and features by budding Miami cineastes. Commercially released English-language films are also shown with Spanish subtitles at discount prices.

Film screenings are just one of the regular events you’ll find at the historic Colony Theatre. And if there’s one on the calendar, it’s well worth the price of admission—if only to get a glimpse of the gorgeous art deco interior of this 1935 building, originally opened as part of Paramount Pictures’ cinema chain.

Named after the late Miami Herald film critic and completely renovated with funding from his family, this is a gem of an indie movie house. It’s roomier and more plush than most first-run cinemas and offers an eclectic mix of Asian, European and arthouse fare. The downside is that it’s difficult to get to via public transport. Thankfully, it’s well worth the effort.