An eight-seat screening suite at Metro Cinema
Will Engelmann
A luxurious new way to screen movies has made its way to Manhattan.
Metro Cinema will officially open at 131 8th Avenue in Chelsea on Wednesday, October 29, offering a luxurious viewing experience via private screenings, gourmet menus, and more.
Created by Tim League, founder of Alamo Drafthouse (which has locations in the Financial District and Downtown Brooklyn), Metro Cinema combines elevated dining with intimate curated experience, with twenty private cinema suites seating between four and twenty guests. Moviegoers can book the entire room for date nights, family gatherings, and parties to screen new releases, classics, indie films and more.
“For over a century, cinema has been experienced in a crowded room surrounded by strangers,” shared League. “We’ve changed that. Sharing dinner, drinks, a great movie, and the post-movie conversation with people you love in a spacious, relaxed environment is very special. We’re excited to share this new experience with New York City.”
While several New York City movie theaters offers a full menus with screenings, including the Brooklyn mainstay Nighthawk Cinema and The Seaport’s IPIC Theater, Metro Cinema distinguishes itself as a dine-in movie hub with private suites equipped with wall-to-wall movie screens, state-of-the-art surround sound, motorized recliners, plush loveseats, a dining table with chairs, plus personalized food and beverage service.
The Metro Cinema Experience
The Metro Cinema moviegoing experience begins even before the lights dim for the screening. Each suite has its own turntable and access to an extensive vinyl collection for a curated soundtrack to kick off the experience. With music selected, the suite transforms into an intimate dining room offering multi-course, family-style, movie-themed meals created by Chef Joshua Guarneri.
This fall, a seasonal menu offers local ingredients in dishes like kampachi crudo, mushroom risotto, Peri Peri blue prawns, and a dessert trio. With the opening of Wicked: For Good a magical menu designed to take diners to Oz includes curried pumpkin soup shooters, lamb tongue carpaccio (awkward for Dr. Dillamond), dandelion green salad, emerald prawns, roasted beets, matcha cheesecake, and a green elixir cocktail.
The “Wicked: For Good” menu at Metro Cinema in New York City
Will Engelmann
Metro Cinema will also screen seasonal classics like Planes, Trains and Automobiles to pair with a traditional Thanksgiving feast including roast turkey and gravy, cranberry sauce, stuffing, mashed potatoes and pumpkin pie on Thanksgiving Day; and a Chinese-inspired feast featuring roast duck, just like Ralphie and family enjoy in A Christmas Story on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.
Additional specials include a Champagne toast plus 10 raspberries per guests for bookings of Amélie and an upcoming multicourse uni tasting menu for The Delicacy screenings in January 2026.
At the entry to the cinema is The Bar with No Name, open to anyone regardless of bookings. Adorned with vintage movie posters and film memorabilia, the bar is perfect for cinephiles to enjoy wine, beer, cocktails, or non-alcoholic beverages. A daily Martini Happy Hour runs from 4 p.m. -6 p.m., and offers $8-$10 martinis, gin and tonics, plus more cocktails.
The front bar at Metro Cinema in Chelsea
Will Engelmann
Booking for Metro Cinema is now open online at metrocinema.com. Guests can browse the library of current and classic films, select their private suite size and menu, and reserve their preferred date and time directly online. Screening rooms are priced at $50 per seat and include your own private suite, movie ticket, plus unlimited popcorn and soda. Meals and drinks are offered an additional cost.
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/melissakravitz/2025/10/27/metro-cinema-brings-elevated-private-screenings-and-dining-to-chelsea/
