Good morning!
So I went to my first movie in Taiwan yesterday and it raised a number of questions which some of your Taiwan experts may be able to clarify. (All questions apply to Taipei.)
-
Is there an English aggregator website for movies showing in Taipei across different theater chains? Something that shows movie times and locations with searches from either. Or do I have to go to each chain’s/mall’s website one at a time?
-
Are there any discount/membership cards either by chain or mall? Like a 10% off VIP/frequent customer card? (I’m not interested in discount popcorn/soda/etc.)
-
Is it possible to book/buy movie tickets online (in English)?
-
It was not clear to me, does the ticket seller pick my seat or can I pick my seat? What is the norm here?
-
Is it the norm that Chinese movies have English subtitles here or not? I saw a preview (TaiChi 101?) that had English subtitles but not sure if that is standard.
I enjoy movies and go a lot so any information would be most appreciated.
Thank you everyone!
[quote=“expertalmost”]So I went to my first movie in Taiwan yesterday and it raised a number of questions which some of your Taiwan experts may be able to clarify. (All questions apply to Taipei.)
-
Is there an English aggregator website for movies showing in Taipei across different theater chains? Something that shows movie times and locations with searches from either. Or do I have to go to each chain’s/mall’s website one at a time?
-
Are there any discount/membership cards either by chain or mall? Like a 10% off VIP/frequent customer card? (I’m not interested in discount popcorn/soda/etc.)
-
Is it possible to book/buy movie tickets online (in English)?
-
It was not clear to me, does the ticket seller pick my seat or can I pick my seat? What is the norm here?
-
Is it the norm that Chinese movies have English subtitles here or not? I saw a preview (TaiChi 101?) that had English subtitles but not sure if that is standard. [/quote]
I’m not going to be too helpful because I seldom go to movies, but I use this website…
atmovies.com.tw/home/movie_homepage.html
… for finding out what’s playing. That’s all in Chinese, however.
Vieshow’s website: vscinemas.com.tw
Miramar’s website, which is currently (no idea if currently = now, or = this year!) closed: web.miramarcinemas.com.tw/visInt … osedCH.htm
(Miramar’s does have English, which I recall as being not too useful.)
You can pick your seat, but sometimes you have to jump in there fast before they’ll do it for you.
You definitely can’t count on English subtitles.
Thank you LostInAsia for your assistance!
Sadly, I cannot read chinese. But the Bing translations for some of the movie titles are a fun read.
Hopefully an English-only movie-buff will surface.
Some might. But the most common means for a discount is a credit card whose company has a promotion with the theater. (BTW, most credit card issuers aren’t interested in handing out cards to foreigners. But you may get lucky.) Also, don’t count on those applying on weekends or for IMAX.
For some places you can purchase general tickets in advance at a lower price; for example, the lizhang in Tianmu sells discount tickets for the theater in that neighborhood. Then you trade that ticket for a real one at the theater.
It’s possible. But I’ve never done it.
If you have a preference, you should tell the ticket seller early in the process or you’ll get whatever seat they assign you.
Generally not. But there are exceptions.
Thank you everyone for the kindness of your time and efforts! I will be exploring all those options and anything else I can find as I learn my way around Taipei. (In about a century. So all those funny shapes with the little lines are WORDS? )
Wishing you all a glorious day!