If someone had found themselves at Athens’ Cine Paris open-air movie theater on a recent Saturday night, they may have thought they had been transported back to 2001. A laid-back atmosphere, young people – smokers and nonsmokers alike – gathered around the tables of the open-air cinema, Aperol Spritzes in hand, while “Amelie” played on the screen. Twenty-five years on, the film was screening to a sold-out audience, as if not a single day had passed since that distant September when Jean-Pierre Jeunet’s film premiered in Athens.
“Every single rerelease sells out at Cine Paris,” says Christos Bechtsis, head of distribution at the Cinobo streaming platform, which curates programming at the historic cinema in Plaka. On most evenings, anyone strolling along Kidathineon Street will see a long queue of people patiently waiting to make their way up to the rooftop terrace with the stunning Acropolis view.
An affordable option
Of course, not every cinema enjoys the same box-office success. Still, it is true that every summer Athens’ open-air cinemas – and not only those in the capital – celebrate films from decades past. What likely began as a practical necessity has found a loyal audience over time and become an established tradition among cinephiles.
