At the movies: Cinemas and film festivals Stockholm
Publish date: 10 October 2024
In the mood for a chilling horror or hilarious comedy? Here are some of our favorite cinemas in Stockholm!
Look, we get it. You might be visiting a new and exciting place, with lots of stuff to see and do. Still, that doesn't mean you don't want to park your backside in a comfy chair for 2 hours and see that movie you've been waiting the whole year for, right?
Below are some of our favorite movie theatres. You'll also find info about upcoming festivals and special screenings in town.
Movie theaters in City/Norrmalm and Vasastan
- Skandia – Skandia opened in 1923 and is regarded as one of Stockholm's most beautiful movie theaters. In no small part thanks to its Swedish Grace decor by Gunnar Asplund. Since 2023, The Stockholm International Film Festival has wholly owned the cinema.
- Grand – Grand on Sveavägen was a parish hall for the Swedish Pentecostal Movement before it became a cinema in 1933. Despite modernization and renovations, many original details in the decor remain. The theater is also infamous for being the last place Prime Minister Olof Palme visited before being shot in 1986.
- Filmstaden Sergel – Sergel, at Hötorget Square, is the largest cinema in inner-city Stockholm. It's located in the same space previously occupied by the smaller Sergelteatern-single screen cinema but has been expanded to accommodate 14 screens.
- Klarabiografen – You'll find the relatively young Klarabiografen (opened in 2006) inside Kulturhuset Stadsteatern on Sergels torg. Besides its regular programming, Klara shows many concert films and filmed operas/theatre productions on international stages.
- Bio Capitol – When Capitol was resurrected in 2018 (in a building that had housed a cinema from 1926 to 1985) it was the first in Stockholm to offer beer and wine, but also a lighter meal to bring into the screening.
- Rigoletto – Rigoletto opened in 1939 and is still the foremost gala cinema for star-studded red carpet premieres. The auditorium is Sweden's largest movie theater with 756 seats and today it has an 18-year age limit since moviegoers can order beer and wine in the bar.
Movie theaters in Östermalm
- Zita – Stockholm's oldest movie theater (opened in 1913) can be found on Birger Jarlsgatan. The name has changed a few times through the years until it was solidified as Zita in 1984.
- Bio Fågel Blå – Venerated single-screen cinema that opened in 1926. Famously, Bio Fågel Blå was one of Ingmar Bergman's favorites. The theater is located in the same block where the famed director grew up, and even as an adult, he continued visiting it, engaging in discussions with the audience on occasion. This legacy lives on through Bergman Mondays, where his films are screened with English subtitles.
- Filmhuset – This great example of brutalist architecture, located on Gärdet, is first and foremost the headquarters of the Swedish Film Institute. Besides offices, a library, and a lunch restaurant Filmhuset features two movie theatres – Victor and Mauritz – regularly used by the Swedish Cinemateque.
Subtitles and Filmstaden
Sweden, like all the other Scandinavian countries, doesn't dub foreign films but uses subtitles instead. Some films, like animation and movies aimed at a younger audience, might be dubbed depending on which screening you're going to.
The biggest movie theater chain in Sweden is Filmstaden (page in Swedish), with smaller theaters in inner-city Stockholm and multiplexes in the surrounding areas. Tickets are booked through Filmstaden's webpage. Independent theaters – like Zita, Bio Aspen, and Bio Capitol – have separate ticket bookings.
Movie theaters on Södermalm
- Victoria – "Vickan" opened in 1936, but has been modernized and rebuilt several times to meet current cinema standards. Parts of the original decor have been preserved though, and the bright neon sign is a beacon of light on Götgatan.
- Bio Rio – A 1940s funcionalist cinema that's become something of a cultural institution in Hornstull. The programming mixes current films with classics, sing-a-longs, and recorded opera productions.
Movie theaters outside of central Stockholm
- Bio Aspen – Aspen in Hägersten opened in 1952 but closed in 1961 already. The premises were later used for a variety of activities, for example as the clubhouse for the Spårvägen Table Tennis Club for a time (ping-pong legend J.O Waldner regularly practiced here in his youth). Since 2019 Aspen has been a movie theatre once again though, with a bistro on the premises.
- Biocafé Tellus – Beloved single-screen cinema in Midsommarkransen that's been around since 1920. Tellus is one of the few small movie theaters outside central Stockholm that's still in operation, run by a non-profit organization that keeps the machines in shape and bakes pastries and cookies for the café.
- Filmstaden Råsunda – Filmstaden Råsunda was the epicenter of the Swedish movie industry during the first half of the 20th century. The studios have moved out since, and today the former studio is a fascinating cultural heritage site. Although movies no longer are being produced here, there is however a modern multiplex cinema.
- Skärisbiografen – The first cinema in Stockholm to focus on films aimed at children and teenagers. Skärisbiografen is located in the southern Stockholm suburb of Skärholmen and is run by Kulturhuset Stadsteatern.
Film festivals in Stockholm
Fall is typically a high season for film festivals in Stockholm. Several of the most prominent take place in September-November.
- Panoramica – Panoramica is the first Latin American film festival in Stockholm. It provides an opportunity to promote the screening and distribution of Latin American films in Sweden contributing to increased diversity within the Swedish film scene.
- Cinema Queer – Cinema Queer has become an important platform for LGBTQ films in Sweden. The festival focuses on movies that question, discuss, and aren't limited to existing norms while highlighting stories that otherwise wouldn’t be recognized.
- SIFFF: Monsters of Film – Just in time for Halloween, the genre film festival Monsters of Film does its best to frighten its visitors with ghosts, ghouls, psychotic killers, and, of course, monsters.
- Stockholm International Film Festival – Stockholm's most prominent film festival takes place in November. Although the full program is diverse, the competitive section is only open for young/starting filmmakers who've only directed one previous feature or less.
- Tempo – Tempo began as a film festival, but has broadened its program over the years to include other forms of documentary storytelling like podcasts, photography, and more.