Cancel

    Open app

    Search

    Cinema Nova

    4.3 (55 reviews)
    Closed 10:00 am - 9:45 pm

    Cinema Nova Photos

    Recommended Reviews - Cinema Nova

    Your trust is our priority, so businesses can't pay to alter or remove their reviews. Learn more about reviews.
    Yelp app icon
    Browse more easily on the app
    Review Feed Illustration

    Reviews With Photos

    David S.

    Cinema Nova is a fantastic place to choose for your cinema going. It opened as a two-screen arthouse cinema in 1992 and has expanded quite rapidly ever since. It still has the feel of a small and cosy cinema and stays close to its roots, which is reflected in the great diversity of movies it still shows. Here you'll find the latest blockbusters and arthouse movies alike and you'll also have special exclusive showings and other movies that you won't find in multiplex cinemas. They are also fully licensed which is another edge over the big boys. On Mondays you can go and watch movies on the cheap. If you go before 4pm it is $6. After that you can watch movies for $9. That's as cheap as it gets in Melbourne I think. A word of advice.... get your tickets early on Mondays because when there are big movies out they often sell out. The only time I wouldn't go to Nova would be for a 3d movie. Imax is just round the corner.

    Irene C.

    Cinema Nova is a small cinema on Lygon St, they screen 'some' popular movies but it's mostly art house or independent films here. The cinemas are nowhere near as big as the likes of Village or Hoyts, however the Nova also doesn't get anywhere as busy as those places either. The thing I like the most about cinema nova is its bar, prices and drinks are all standard- but it's just nice to be able to sit down for a drink while waiting for a cinema to open. The session times are pretty regular and they also seem to have a lot of different movies to chose from. This art house cinema is also in a very convenient location, however securing a parking spot on Lygon St can be hard at times.

    sam m.

    The best thing on a hot summer evening is to plonk on the balcony, outside the bar at Nova, and suck down a cold beer before a film. You can even take a glass or bottle inside the cinema with you for further refreshment. Pretty sweet huh? This is hands down the best cinema in Melbourne... period. Not because they have the biggest screens, best projectors, amazing sound or for any technical reasons, but Nova show simply the best selection of limited release and short run films in town. Yes there are others, but Nova also cram in enough regular release stuff that it lacks the pomp and pretence of some of the other 'arthouse' cinemas. The bar at Nova is (predictably) overpriced, as are the icecreams and popcorn. Ticket prices are consistently better than most competitors, however, so you can make the adjustment yourself. Monday night specials are outrageously good and their afternoon deals are great too. The offer generous concessions for students and Triple R subscribers as well.

    Hope M.

    If, like me, you don't want to battle for a table at some over-rated Lygon Street restaurant before seeing a film, the bar inside Nova Cinema is a godsend. It's classy but chilled out. Think squishy cinema-complex carpet and Kartell chairs. They have a fantastic wine list (Innocent Bystander by the glass - yay) and a range of tasty savories and sweets. On my last visit I ordered what I guessed would be just a simple roast chicken baugette, but I got a beautifully presented roll on an adorable wooden panel with chicken and a light potato salad. Inspired! The only downside is the bar can get busy at peak times (Monday, Friday and Saturday nights), so even though you're saving time by eating in the Cinema complex, you may end up being late for the film. If you're cutting it fine it's best to get your food and drink as take aways so you can enjoy it in front of the film.

    See all

    13 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0

    10 years ago

    Luxury seating, alcohol and intimate setting with a small cinema and a big screen. What a comfortable place to watch a movie!

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    13 years ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    12 years ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    9 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    14 years ago

    A second home, and a cultural treasure. Only let down by queuing and some old seats.

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    14 years ago

    Nova is the premier independent cinema in Australia, and even has a great bar/bistro with very reasonably prices.

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    12 years ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Jen K.
    8
    313
    336

    15 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    12 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    12 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    8 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    14 years ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Joe D.
    29
    1
    0

    10 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0
    Photo of SJ F.
    37
    11
    78

    12 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0

    Page 2 of 2

    Review Highlights - Cinema Nova

    Fifteen screens, a choice of art-house and mainstream films, really comfy seats, awesome choc tops and the best yearly membership deal ever.

    Mentioned in 9 reviews

    Read more highlights

    Verify this business for free

    People searched for Cinema 1,015 times last month within 15 miles of this business.

    Verify this business

    Crown Village Cinemas & Gold Class

    Crown Village Cinemas & Gold Class

    3.0(26 reviews)
    3.0 kmSouthbank

    My first and probably last gold class experience…read more Don't get me wrong it was pretty cool having a cinema to yourself and only a few other people, lounge chairs with tables, waiters to bring you drinks or food as you wish. There is something by elite about that and fancy. The service was good, the girls and boys very attentive and helpful. We had a gold class experience booked which is the movie plus food and drinks. This will set you back $160 for two people. We could choose a total of five plates, meal or dessert and a house wine or beer. The pricing on the menu is steep, I think that the experience package does amount to a decent discount. The pricing gives you a little hope that it might be pretty good food, and while it wasn't terrible it wasn't the $25 Sliders that you are use to on the Melbourne streets. More like fancy McDonald's. The cinema was clean and tidy the screen and surround was probably better than the standard cinema. I did find that our neighbours ordering and paying for drinks during the movie was distracting and annoying. Maybe I just don't like people, take me to the Coburg drive in any day where I can sit and eat in my car and don't have to deal with others.

    Sure the popcorn prices are extortionate and you will probably need to sell a kidney to buy a bag…read moreof maltersers, but it's all part of the movie experience right? I like Crown when I'm in the mood for seeing a big blockbuster. The seats are comfortable, the screens are large and the sound is good which is pretty much all you can ask for in a cinema experience (okay so vibrating massage chairs would be nice too). It's also perfectly located to nearby restaurants at South Wharf, or if I'm in the mood for an all out American feed, The Merrywell.

    Photos
    Crown Village Cinemas & Gold Class
    Crown Village Cinemas & Gold Class - Premiere of...

    Premiere of...

    Crown Village Cinemas & Gold Class - Up the escalators to cinemas

    See all

    Up the escalators to cinemas

    The Backlot Studios - Private mini bar area pre-film

    The Backlot Studios

    4.8(4 reviews)
    3.5 kmSouthbank

    Did you know there's a cinema hidden away in Southbank/South Melbourne? It was news to me too, but…read moreI went to The Backlot Studios to check it out as an event venue. Backlot is a private cinema, open to groups - think work functions, parties, hens/bucks (apparently you can play games on the big screen too). The cinema fits about 80 people and the chairs are so comfy. Big black leather seats and big double seats in the back. Unlike some smaller/pop-up movie theatres, this place gives you the proper cinema experience - dark, big screen, big sound, no distractions from the outside world. There is a candy bar at the front that will play videos (and logos if you're a business hiring it out). They have catering options or there's a small surcharge per head to bring in food/drink depending on what kind of catering you're looking at. Looking forward to heading back to catch a movie with a friend or 70.

    What an evening. This cinema takes intimate seriously and although I got to experience it as part…read moreof an event I would love to find out what it is like as an everyday screening. With only one screening room they managed to really make watching a movie comfortable. Between the giant leather couches, the free private parking, the movie sound which plays in the bathroom so that you don't get left behind and the decor which makes going to the movies more authentic they really did well. To top it off they even have couple's leather chairs so that you can really get up close when your parter gets a fright. I'll make sure to post more in depth once I've experience it for real!

    Photos
    The Backlot Studios
    The Backlot Studios - Snack bar

    Snack bar

    The Backlot Studios

    See all

    Palace Cinema Como - Waiting Area

    Palace Cinema Como

    4.1(15 reviews)
    5.4 kmSouth Yarra

    Honestly, this really isn't one of my favourite cinemas out there, probably because the location…read morejust feels really dead, especially on Sundays. However, it is one of the palace cinemas which means that it does tend to have some pretty good movies showing, as well as quite a few of the stage to screen productions as well (which is the main reason I tend to end up at these cinemas). The cinema itself isn't all that bad, and is easier to get to than some of them, but once again, it isn't a favourite.

    Never thought I'd say this about a cinema but Palace Como is CLASSY! I guess this neighbourhood has…read morea reputation to keep up so an average cinema just won't cut it for the locals. The waiting area was furnished like a lavish ballroom. It was seriously regal, from the Victorian chaise lounges and armchairs to the ornate mirrors and lighting. There was even a grand piano on display (what a shame nobody was playing on it). And I spied not an ordinary bar but a 'Prosecco' bar which I would have made a beeline for if I wasn't already slightly late for the film. And then of course only when I took my seat did I realise that I could have purchased a vino and laid it on the cute mini table beside me (not cup holder. TABLE!). Maybe next time, when I'm no longer a noob. One other thing worth mentioning was that the (female) loo was super fancy like the rest of place, and very clean too! They get a whole star just for that!

    Photos
    Palace Cinema Como - Waiting Area

    Waiting Area

    Palace Cinema Como - Inside cinema 1

    Inside cinema 1

    Palace Cinema Como - Waiting area

    See all

    Waiting area

    Cinema Nova - movietheaters - Updated May 2026

    Loading...
    Loading...
    Loading...