Cinemas in South Brisbane

South Brisbane has two cinemas for families, both in the South Bank cultural precinct, and they could hardly be more different in what they screen and how you pay for it.

Cineplex South Bank is the mainstream option: five screens, with Cinema 5 the one reviewers keep mentioning. It is the former IMAX screen, and while a Brisbane child-friendly cinema roundup notes it is no longer an official IMAX venue, its 25-metre screen is still described in a session-times listing as the largest in downtown Brisbane. Google reviewers rate it 4.2 across more than five thousand reviews, and the themes that come up are big screen, value for money and the arcade. The trade-off is upkeep: ageing facilities and cleanliness are a recurring complaint, so it suits families who want cheap tickets and a big-screen blockbuster more than a polished foyer. That same roundup notes there are no dedicated baby screenings, but still recommends it for a family movie day, partly because it sits close to South Bank's parklands and playgrounds.

Australian Cinémathèque, inside GOMA, is a different proposition. Admission is free, reviewers praise the film history curation, silent films and the Wurlitzer, and it holds a 4.8 rating, though from only 89 reviews. Our verdict is that it suits film-loving families with older children or teens; younger kids who need constant stimulation may find the quiet atmosphere hard going. Reviewers also flag that some screenings now require tickets rather than walk-in, and that patron behaviour during films can vary. It has baby change facilities, which the Cineplex listing does not mention, and the GOMA galleries turn a screening into a full day out.