Allianz Cinema Basel
Open-air cinema on Münsterplatz starts the «Summer of Love» with film classics and current blockbusters
For decades, Basel’s open-air cinema has attracted people to Münsterplatz on warm summer evenings. The current season, which starts on August 2, features classic romantic films and current blockbusters.
The open-air cinema in a historic setting has space for up to 1,750 people. This year, the blockbusters “Dune: Part Two,” “Fall Guy,” and “Twisters” will be shown, among others.
Since 1991, Basel’s Münsterplatz has been transformed into an open-air cinema every summer, attracting thousands of people every year with its big screen. This year’s season begins on August 2nd and offers a varied film program over three weeks.
Last year, a total of 36,000 admissions were counted and the 2024 edition also promises to be a success. 16,000 tickets have already been sold in advance. This is a good figure, as many visitors decide spontaneously and rely on the box office on the evening, says Peter Hürlimann, founder of the event organizer Cinerent, when asked.
The most famous film, “Despicable Me 4,” is already sold out. There are still tickets available for other blockbusters such as “Fall Guy” and “Twisters” or the successful Swiss comedy “Bon Schuur Ticino.”
Classics based on audience demand and auteur cinema
After each season, audience surveys are conducted and, according to Hürlimann, these have shown that people want to see more classics. The Allianz Cinema is fulfilling this wish by having a special focus theme. This year it is “Summer of Love” – with selected “romantic classics that have not been seen on such a big screen for a long time,” as it says on the Allianz Cinema website.
The romantic comedies “Dirty Dancing,” “Pretty Woman,” “Notting Hill,” and “Bridget Jones’s Diary” are shown on Saturdays. Showing older films is not always easy, says Peter Hürlimann. But it was worth it, because advance sales for these films are going extremely well. “These films show no signs of aging, they still work today.”
Fans of arthouse and auteur cinema will also get their money’s worth, with films such as the love triangle “Challengers” or the crime drama “The Bikeriders”, which is set in the American biker scene of the 1960s. The film “Poor Things”, for which lead actress Emma Stone won an Oscar, will also be shown at this year’s Allianz Cinema.
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