Cinemas in Laos: ready for a movie?

Home » Cinemas in Laos: what to know about the local film culture

If you’re a film enthusiast you might want to watch the newest blockbuster or another movie while you’re traveling through Laos. That’s definitely possible, but there are two things you should now. First, big cinemas like the ones from Major Platinum Cineplex are rare. Second, except blockbusters there won’t be many options – unless you speak Lao of course. If that sounds good, check out our article and learn more about the local film culture.

Where to watch cinema in Laos

There aren’t many cities where you can watch movies in Laos. Most cinemas are in the capital Vientiane. That’s also the case with the one you can see in the picture above. That picture was taken from the inside of the Vientiane Center and shows the Major Platinum Cineplex at the fourth floor of the shopping mall. Except for this one, there are two others in Vientiane: One is the Major Platinum Cineplex at the ITECC Mall and another one is the Cityplex Major Cinema. The Cityplex Major Cinema is the smallest of the three.

Cinemas outside of Vientiane

Outside of Vientiane you don’t have many options. When it comes to big cinemas, the only alternative is in the South, in the city of Pakse. It’s also a Major Platinum Cineplex, and this one is located in the Friendship Mall. Except for that, there aren’t any traditional cinemas, but there are some hotels and similar venues that organize movie screenings. A worthwhile mention is the Outdoor Cinema in Luang Prabang.

If you want to reserve your tickets you can do that over the official website of the Major Platinum Cineplex. The other cinemas unfortunately don‘t offer that option.

How much do the cinemas in Laos cost?

The prices for the cinemas in Laos varies. How much you‘ll have to pay, except for the cinema itself, primarly depends on the movie, the seat and the theatre you choose. To give you a better understanding we checked the prices for three movies. The first one was The Riders, a horror comedy only available in Lao and Thai. For a ticket in Major Platinum Cineplex theatre 1 you would have to pay:

For the second movie we chose the action and horror movie Teeyod 2. That one was available in English and Thai. Since it was in another cinema and theatre there were no Happy Seats, but the Normal Seats and Honeymoon Seats were surprisingly cheaper. The prices for theatre 4 in Major Platinum Cineplex at the ITECC Mall:

And last, but not least we chose The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim. That movie was only available in Thai. For a ticket in the Major Platinum Cineplex at the ITECC Mall in theatre 1 the prices were:

We haven’t tried the Opera Seats ourselves yet, but we know they are positioned very close to the screen, offer great comfort, and are limited in number. Now, you have a better idea how much a cinema ticket in Laos costs. In average you‘ll have to pay around 2 to 8 US dollars for a movie. That’s not much and if you like movies, you should definitely give it a shot!

What you should know before watching a movie in Laos

There’s absolutely no reason to miss a movie in Laos. You may not have many options, but the available cinemas really are decent and pretty cheap. The only issue is to find a movie in English. Most of the movies available are either local productions from Laos or Thailand or dubbed in Lao or Thai. Only when it comes to big blockbusters you might get English with Lao or Thai subtitles. That’s something you really should be aware of, before you buy a ticket. Especially if you do it online, because there won’t be a ticket clerk to warn you.

Cultural attractions related to cinema

Even there aren’t many cinemas in Laos, the film history of the country is still an interesting topic and there are some attractions you should be aware about. Before we talk about those attractions, we want to mention, that the modern Laotian cinema is strongly influenced by Thai cinema. Many movies are co-produced. That also applies for the first commercial film since 1975: Sabaidee Luang Prabang. It was directed by a Thai director and tells the love story between a Thai photographer and a Laotian tour guide. But let’s come back to the attactions we were talking about. One is the Blue Chair Film Festival in Luang Prabang, the other one is the Lao Chaleun Cinema in Savannakhet.

Blue Chair Film Festival

The Blue Chair Film Festival is one of the biggest cinematic events in the country. It is held every year in December in Luang Prabang and features a lot of local movies. The goal of the festival is to strengthen the regional filmmakers and support the industry overall. Before being renamed the Blue Chair Film Festival, the festival was known as the Luang Prabang Film Festival (LPFF). Since its inception, the Blue Chair Film Festival relies on monetary support. In 2024, some of the supporters were:

Despite some censorship, many movies explore sensitive topics like social injustice. The movies are presented at different venues and from practically all Southeast Asian countries. Beside movies from Laos, you can see movies from Cambodia, Myanmar, Vietnam, and many other countries. If you’re traveling in Luang Prabang around the beginning of december, don’t miss this incredible cultural event.

Lao Chaleun Cinema in Savannakhet

If you ever go to Savannakhet, the Lao Chaleun Cinema is a must. Unlike the other cinemas we talked about in this post, it isn’t an active cinema anymore. The cinema consists of two main buildings that are connected by a patio bridge on the first floor. While exploring it, you should always be very careful, because the building is really old and partially deteriorated. If you don’t watch your step, you might trip or fall trough a weak spot in the structure. The cinema was built around the 1930s, but unfortunately was abandoned shortly after. What remains is a fascinating structure covered with a lot of beautiful street art. Inside the different rooms, you might discover old reels and projector equipment that reflect its history.