Cinemas in Victoria

The first question is whether you need a session built for small children. Village Cinemas Sunshine houses VJunior, which a Melbourne family cinema guide calls Australia's first dedicated kids' cinema: lights stay on throughout and children can move about, and the same format runs at Village Cinemas Knox, with a surcharge on the regular ticket. HOYTS runs Little Stars sessions with relaxed rules at HOYTS Watergardens, HOYTS Broadmeadows and HOYTS Victoria Gardens. For babies, Sun Theatre in Yarraville runs regular baby sessions, and the same guide notes that HOYTS Cinema District Docklands dims the lights and softens the volume for a Wednesday session aimed at new parents.

If comfort matters more than a special format, recliners come as standard at HOYTS Eastland, Watergardens and HOYTS Forest Hill, where reviewers say sessions run quieter than other eastern suburbs cinemas and covered parking is free. Reading Cinemas Burwood Brickworks pairs recliners with a smaller session count, though teens need photo ID for MA15+ films. For sheer scale, IMAX Melbourne (Museums Victoria) suits older children who can sit through a full feature on its 32-metre screen.

Then there are the cinemas with character. Sun Theatre and The Astor Theatre both appear on Time Out's list of the world's most beautiful cinemas, according to the guide; the Astor's double features run long and its repertory titles can be rated M and above. Classic Cinemas, Lido Cinemas and Cameo Cinemas each run junior weekend programs, while Dromana 3 Drive-In lets kids move around the car with the volume under your control. For a birthday, Henkel Street Cinema in Brunswick is a private-hire format for ages 7 to 15.