Cinemas in Chiang Mai

The cinema landscape in Chiang Mai has changed vastly in recent years and also in this respect Chiang Mai has become a thriving international city. Every shopping mall has a cinema to draw visitors, operated by one of the Bangkok-based chains SF Cinema City and Major Cineplex. Erstwhile local favorite Vista used to operate about half a dozen cinemas around Chiang Mai and over the years tried many updates to their offerings. Sadly, their cinema has now folded and only their hotel still operates.

Maya Shopping Mall Cinema

Overall, a cinema visit in Chiang Mai is a much cheaper compared to major cities in "rich" countries, with the same sound and visual technologies, usually with friendlier service.

Major Cineplex at Airport Plaza

Around the beginning of the millenium Bangkok-based operator Major Cineplex opened an extensive cinema complex at the Central Airport Plaza shopping mall. The format is very American with thick carpets, garish curtains draped on the walls and huge theaters. Sound and projection equipment are positively state-of-the-art with the latest digital technologies in place. Prices for movies, drinks and snacks are much higher than at the much more charming, sadly now defunct, Vista cinemas. However, due to their corporate privilege, Major will have some Hollywood blockbusters that Vista doesn't yet have the right to show, as well as products of the recent (Update 2022: now faded) 3D fad.

The cinema as well as the mall used to be very busy but with the onslaught of new shopping malls and limited parking this has since alleviated.

You can get an impression at Major Cineplex.

Here's a direct link to Major Cineplex Central Airport Plaza Chiang Mai Show Times.

Always pay attention to the language info: [EN/TH] means "English Sound, Thai Subtitles", "[TH/--]" means "Thai Sound, no subtitles".

Major Cineplex Central Festival

This new high-tech cinema boasts I-Max as well as 4D and Ultra Screens (whatever that is). If anyone had told me a few years ago that Chiang Mai would have an I-Max screen, I would have been incredulous. And now there are at least two!

Ticket prices are currently (early 2023) a reasonable 200 Baht for regular 2D movies and 300 Baht for I-Max.

Here's a direct link to Major Cineplex CentralFestival Chiang Mai Show Times.

Always pay attention to the language info: [EN/TH] means "English Sound, Thai Subtitles", "[TH/--]" means "Thai Sound, no subtitles".

Major Cineplex also have an IMAX theater, the Krungsri IMAX Major Cineplex CentralFestival Chiangmai. Here are the show times.

SFX Cinema Maya

Just opposite of Nimmanhaemin Road, the bold new Maya Shopping Mall has a cinema, of course. The central location of this mall and many other activities offered (such as co-working spaces and roof beer garden) make this mall the smartest contender of the CM mall boom.

Here's a link to SFX Cinema Maya Chiang Mai Show Times.

English sound is marked with (E).

Reserve tickets on their recently improved web site: SF Cinema City

SF Cinema City Promenada

Update 2022: The Promenada Shopping Mall has closed.

Vista Chiang Mai

Update 2022: As the Kad Suan Kaew Shopping Mall has also fallen victim to Covid-19 and the shopping mall oversupply, Vista currently has no cinema in Chiang Mai.

Indigenous Chiang Mai cinema chain used to be all over town and currently still has several international standard cinemas. The ones playing movies in English with Thai subtitles are located at the Kaad Suan Kaew Shopping Centre ("Central" or "Centran" should be understood by most taxi drivers).

Chiang Mai Vista

You'll have to make your way up to the fourth floor by escalator or elevator. Sadly, the number of English soundtrack movies has declined in recent years. Most movies shown at the Vista are now dubbed in Thai.

So it's now even more important to check their website at vista-link to see if there's an [EN] behind the movie title.

The Vista cinemas are truly Thai with very friendly staff, interesting decoration, occasional quirks with the equipment, occasional free admission for children, and overall a very positive and cheap experience with great sound and picture quality. Admission prices have recently gone over a hundred Baht but are still a bargain compared with "rich country" cinemas.

Update 2017: Sadly, the Vista Chiang Mai has only been playing a few select movies with English sound for a long while now. It appears that the cinema now caters mainly to a Thai clientele (or those foreigners seeking to learn Thai). Licensing issues may be the issue here.

French Cinema

For francophones and francophiles there are the long-running screenings of French movies at the Alliance Française every Friday. The movies are shown in French with English subtitles. Starting time is 8 p.m. See their web page for details.

UPDATE 2017: Apparently the great tradition of weekly French cinema in Chiang Mai has been discontinued. The AF is still at its old address at beautiful, leafy Charoen Prathet Road (see their web presence) so pay them a visit sometime.

Update 2022: Sadly the Alliance Française, a real asset of Chiang Mai's cultural life, have closed their branch in Chiang Mai.