Let's Go to the Movies!

I went to the movies again last night, this time to see Ocean's 13. (which was entertaining, as was Shrek 3 last week.) In last week's comments, Amie asked whether the movie was in English, so I thought I'd take this opportunity to explain the differences and similarities between the movies in the States and the movies in Belgium. (or France, as I've been to the movies a lot in France as well!)

First off, to answer Amie's question, both movies I saw were in English. They were subtitled in both French and Dutch. Sometimes, especially with bigger movies, you will have a choice of dubbed or subtitled. If you are reading a movie schedule, the ones that are dubbed will have a little VF next to the title, meaning version francais. The ones that are subtitled will have a VO next to the title, meaning version originale. In Belgium, it will also say VOstBIL, meaning subtitled bilingual, VOstFR, meaning subtitled in French because the audio is in Dutch, or VOstNL, meaning subtitled in Dutch because the audio is in French.

In smaller towns in France or Belgium, you often won't have a choice. The movies will be dubbed. And a lot of times for kids' movies, you won't have a choice, they will be dubbed. But in big cities like Brussels and Paris, you will have a choice and even kids' movies will be offered in their original languages.

Another thing that is different is the snack selection. People do eat popcorn, but a lot of French people prefer sugar, not salt, on their popcorn. So you do have a choice of sugar or salt (sucre or sale) popcorn, but it's not generally made fresh at the theatre. Other snacks often on offer include nachos, ice cream, candy, and chips, just like at home. One thing I like a lot is in bigger theatres they often have someone walk through with a basket of snacks you can buy from your seat before the show.

Another thing they do here that I like a lot and I wish we had at home is you can subscribe to the movies. It's a monthly pass. You pay 14 euro 90 here in Brussels per month and you get a little card that allows you to go to the movies whenever you like, as many times per month as you like. Considering one ticket is 9 or 10 euro, you only need to go to 2 movies per month for it to be worthwhile.

The one thing I hate about the movies in Brussels is that they charge you to use the bathroom. It's only 30 eurocents, but still. This is not something I remember from Paris.

And finally, the movies in Brussels are ALWAYS crowded. Last night was a Tuesday. Ocean's 13 has been out for a while. It wasn't jam packed, but it was a lot more crowded than I expected and a lot more full than an 8:30 on a Tuesday night showing would have been at home.

There's your cultural education for the day! Any questions?