One of the things that I love about Melbourne is that I seem to constantly hear about new places, and the Rivoli was one of those places that I had no idea it existed until some friends invited me to come and see a production of Richard II. The cinemas are actually owned by the Village Group, however while it does show a number of major new releases it is also one of those cinemas where you can see the more art-house films, as well as some of the cinematic theatre productions. The cinemas are actually really nice and certainly have a much better ambience that a lot of the modern multiplexes. It still has that 1950s charm, but does have a number of cinemas in the building (as well as a Gold Class cinema along with the accompanying bar). Oh, they also have a rooftop bar, though that was closed when I was here. It is definitely a place that I'm going to have to visit again.
The Rivoli is an old-style cinema full of nostalgia and romance. The art deco building is quite beautiful and has been refurbished and it is celebrating it's 75th anniversary soon. The foyer is huge and dramatic and there is a small terrace area upstairs. The cinema itself is reason enough to come and they screen wonderful classic movies from time to time. The only downside is parking and driving to a location near such a busy intersection but worth it for the space and ambience.
We ordered 30 tickets plus popcorn, drink and choc top for each person and my rating of one star is based purely on the organization and customer service of the staff.
The food service was pretty disorganized, which I found forgivable at the time because the staff serving us were quite ...read more
