Movies & Movie Theaters in Santa Cruz, Bolivia. Cinema Listing and Descriptions.

Movie Theaters in Santa Cruz

There are six movie theaters in Santa Cruz, most of which are found within a 1 mile radius in or near the downtown area. Some are very old and date back a few decades to an era when they were used as theaters for live plays and concerts (and occasionally they still are). There are a couple of really good modern choices as well.

There is an organization in Santa Cruz called the Asociación Pro Arte y Cultura (APAC) (The Association Pro Art and Culture) that works actively to promote culture and the arts in all forms. It hosts the Bolivian Film Festival every two years as well as promoting numerous local and national events and artists throughout the year.

APAC (Asociación Pro Arte y Cultura)
Calle Beni No. 228
Santa Cruz de la Sierra, Bolivia
Tel: (591-3) 333-2287
Fax: (591-3) 337-2526
Email: info@festivalesapac.com
http://www.festivalesapac.com

A few things you should know when you
go to the movies in Santa Cruz:

1. Some movie theaters still provide assigned seating. So you can’t get up and move to another seat if you want to.

2. Bolivia has no laws to ensure access for the disabled as far as I know. There are no wheelchair ramps at any of the movie theaters.

3. Movie theaters have air conditioning, some have heating. Most won’t spend on turning them on except in extremely hot or cold weather. Dress appropriately.

4. Smoking is not exactly prohibited in movie theaters. Some have no smoking signs but no one enforces them. It’s not against the law here, so if you get stuck sitting behind a smoker you technically do not have the right to ask them to stop smoking.

5. Cellphones are a problem. People just don’t turn them off in theaters and frequently don’t even leave their seats when talking on the phone.

6. All movie theaters sell snacks and beverages in their lobbies; however street vendors selling bagged potato chips, popcorn, candy and other snacks line up by the dozen outside the theater doors. The theaters prefer you buy snacks in their lobby, but don’t stop you from buying from outside vendors.

7. American movies are usually shown in English with Spanish subtitles, with few exceptions. Foreign movies are usually shown in their original language this way too. The exception, of course, is that children’s movies are usually dubbed straight to Spanish because most kids either can’t read or can’t read subtitles fast enough.

8. You cannot purchase movie tickets online prior to the movie show time, except at Cines Bella Vista and then only if you are a member of Club Bellavista.

9. US and other foreign movies usually arrive in Bolivia a few weeks after they are released elsewhere. Unfortunately, by the time they do arrive thousands of pirated videos of the movies have usually already circulated and much of the general population already knows the movie plot and ending.

10. The entrance fee for adults is between $2 and $3 dollars, slightly less for children.

11. Movie ratings are not strictly enforced. Unaccompanied minors do often view movies rated beyond their age.

12. Street parking and parking restrictions are strictly enforced within the city and your car will be towed if you park in a no-parking zone. Use public transportation, walk, or park in assigned parking lots (for about $1).

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Movie Theaters (Cines) in Santa Cruz

Below is a list of Santa Cruz theaters (called cinemas or just “cine” for short, in Spanish) along with a short description of each, in alphabetical order. By the way, if you want to go see a movie (“película”), in Spanish you would say you want to go to the cinema “Vamos al cine”.

CINE ARENAL
Calle Beni No. 520
Santa Cruz de la Sierra, Bolivia
Tel: (591-3) 335-0123
This is, in my opinion, the worst of the six theaters. It is located just across from Parque Arenal (the one with the little lake and paddle boats) about 12 blocks east of the central plaza. I’m not saying it’s horrible, but this is not a very safe area of town, especially for tourists, and is not too clean either.

CINES BELLA VISTA
Av. Ana Barba Frente Estadio Tahuichi Aguilera
Santa Cruz de la Sierra, Bolivia
Tel: (591-3) 353-3909
http://www.cinesbellavista.comThis is one of the nicer cinemas in Santa Cruz, actually my favorite although it is smaller, and features 2 small screens where movies are shown simultaneously. It is located directly across from the Tahuichi Aguilera soccer stadium. The only problem really is parking on days when soccer matches are taking place, but that’s only a couple of times a week. This theater has a members-only club called Club Bellavista with special offers, ticket pre-sales, and other fun stuff for members.

CINE CENTER
2do Anillo entre René Moreno y Monseñor Santisteban
Santa Cruz de la Sierra, Bolivia
Tel: (591-3) 900-770077
http://www.cinecentersantacruz.com
This is the newest and largest cinema complex in Santa Cruz. It opened to the public in 2004 and has ten small-screen theaters and an accompanying “mall” atmosphere with eats, sweets, games, and bank branches. It’s only drawback: it’s the new place to be seen and tends to get really crowded. It is located 10 blocks directly south of the central plaza on the 2nd ring.

CINE PALACE
Calle Libertad 137 Frente a la Plaza Central
Santa Cruz de la Sierra, Bolivia
Tel: (591-3) 332-2617
One of the older theaters, this cinema is located on the Western side of the central plaza. It is large and you get that fifties stage feeling and it has a big screen. Parking can be difficult to find downtown, but its central location is ideal and it’s an easy walk if your hotel is in the area.

JULY 2008 UPDATE: This movie theater and historic icon of cruceño society has closed down. New plans for the building are unknown at this time.

CINE RENÉ MORENO
Calle René Moreno No. 440
Santa Cruz de la Sierra, Bolivia
Tel: (591-3) 334-7448
This is another older theater with a large screen, about 7 blocks south of the central plaza. Finding street parking is also a little hard here, but the theater is well-known and established and the owners are friendly.

AUGUST 2008 UPDATE: This movie theater has now been converted into a live-show theater, mostly comedy acts and is only occasionally used for movie showings.

CINE TEATRO SANTA CRUZ
Calle 21 de Mayo No. 249
Santa Cruz de la Sierra, Bolivia
Tel: (591-3) 332-4503
This is my second least favorite theater. Located about six blocks north of the central plaza, it also has a large screen and that old stage atmosphere. Street parking is hard to find too, but again, it’s not awful, just not as well-maintained as it could be.