In this vocabulary article, you’ll learn some new vocabulary you can use to talk about going to the movies!

In North America, the word cinema is rarely used. Instead, people talk about going to the movies (where movies = the movie theatre):

Do you want to go to the movies tonight?
~ I don’t know. What’s playing?

“What’s playing? = What movies are being shown [at the movie theatre]?

 

You may also hear the word cineplex or mutliplex. These are places with multiple theatres. For example Cineplex Odeon is the name of a major chain of movie theatres in North America. The phrase movie theatre can refer to the entire cineplex or a single auditorium showing one movie.

After you’ve decided what movie you want to see and where you want to see it, you have to decided which show you want to go to. Show means the different times the same movie is shown in the theatre:

We can go to the 3:15, 6:20, or 9:45 show.

 

If a movie is hugely popular, it’s called a blockbuster or a box-office hit, a movie that makes a lot of money. If a movie isn’t very good and doesn’t make a lot of money, it’s a dud or a flop.

The box office is the place in the movie theatre where the tickets are sold. In the past, it really looked like a box! A cashier is the person who takes your money when you buy a ticket. Nowadays, you can buy your movie ticket online or at a stand-alone ticket vending machine at the theatre. Today, the box office also means how many tickets were sold and how much money a film made:

How did James Cameron’s new movie do at the box office?

Critics panned the film but it did well at the box office.

Madonna’s last movie was a real dud. It bombed at the box office.

 

In North American movie theatres, it is very common to buy snacks to eat during a movie – including hot dogs, pizza, nachos with cheese, ice cream, licorice … you name it! The most common thing to eat when you watch a movie is popcorn with butter! You can buy snacks and drinks at the concession stand (also called the snack counter).

In many countries around the world, English movies are dubbed into the local language. To dub a film means to replace the English voice with voices speaking in the local language [French, German, Japanese, etc.]