The end of July saw two unlikely pop-culture heavyweights meet for a cinematic showdown, as Greta Gerwig’s Barbie movie and Christopher Nolan’s atomic bomb epic Oppenheimer were released in cinemas on the same day (21 July).
Both films come highly anticipated, with Margot Robbie’s big-screen portrayal of the iconic doll clashing with Cillian Murphy’s take on J. Robert Oppenheimer, the theoretical physicist who helped develop the first nuclear weapons. Both films have been highly reviewed, and both have resulted in a boom for UK cinemas.
Social media dubbed last month’s frenzied scheduling of Friday 21 July 2023 as “Barbenheimer”, a once-in-a-generation cinematic phenomenon that has led to debate and discussion of the ‘best’ way to enjoy the new films.
Many Brummies will also be heading to the cinemas across the city in August to see the films for the first time, so with this in mind, we’ve decided to take a look into the top 10 best movie theatres across Brum, as rated by customers on Google reviews.
Here are the city’s favourites:
5. Empire Imax, Rubery
The cinema has a 4.4 rating from 4k reviews. One read: “Friendly staff, comfy seats & had a good selection of food!” | Google
6. Cineworld, Broad Street
The cinema has a 4.4 rating from 3.3k Google reviews. One review, read: “Cineworld is the best. The seats and sound quality is so good. Cineworld Imax is so good” | Google Maps
7. Cineworld, Marston Green
The cinema has a 4.4 rating from 1.9k reviews. One read: “One of the best cinemas I’ve visited.” | Google
8. Midlands Arts Centre (MAC), Cannon Hill Park
The MAC has a 4.3 rating from 467 reviews. One review read: “The mac is really up there with the best venues in Birmingham. Programming that reflects the local community, workshops, a range of different spaces for events.” | Google Maps