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Overview

The Palace Barracks are Brisbane's newest cinemas, opening in late 2008. There are 6 cinemas in total - 4 large ones and 2 small ones. The large ones are particularly impressive with their artwork on the walls and a steep incline (which makes it a great view from almost any seat). The cinemas are also licenced which will be a bonus to many.

Movie Quality & Range - 9 out of 10

The Palace Centro has developed a niche of showing smaller, independent films (which is great) and so the Palace Barracks has differentiated itself by showing some of the bigger blockbusters (along with some smaller films too). All in all, there's a tremendous range - ideal for almost any audience.

In conjunction with the Palace Centro, they also host foreign language film festivals throughout the year but special previews where you get to meet filmmakers of note. In 2009, I was lucky enough to host a Q&A with the cast and crew of Balibo, including star Anthony LaPaglia.

Cinema Quality & Service - 8 out of 10

They like to promote their foyer and with good reason. With a beautiful view of the city, Southbank and the Brisbane River, it's great to get to the cinemas early to enjoy a drink and appreciate the view. As noted above, the large cinemas are superb and have been well designed. I'm not as big a fan of the smaller cinemas. It does feel a little crowded and with the smaller screen, you're not quite getting the full effect of going to the movies (as opposed to watching something on the big screen TV at home).

I have the same qualm as I do with the Palace Centro in that there can be long queues that result from squeezing too many films in together. It’s not good when you’ve got your ticket and are still waiting in the foyer for a film that's due to start in 5 minutes.

There's an underground car park which is perfect for this inner-city location but it can create an additional cost for long movies. There's 2 hours free parking (make sure to get it validated when you buy your ticket) and so any movie longer than that will cost you an extra $5. There are some decent restaurants and cafes in the area (including one in the cinema itself) where it's nice to be sociable either before or after the movie. You can always go for a stroll down Caxton Street (as I have many times) to find even more restaurants.

The service is usually excellent. The friendly staff are well groomed and have an appreciation for cinema.

Price - 7 out of 10

The following pricing information is current as at December 2010.

Ticket Prices