As Berlin steamed with temperatures in the mid to high 30s C (90 degrees F) over much of the last month, I looked for ways to cool down. My family hit a lot of the classics, including copious park hangs, elaborate ice cream sundaes, visiting the pool, and even planning a beach vacation. But with this many hot days in a row, we were still looking for ways to keep cool.

Enter one of my American hot weather habits – searching out the AC (Klimaanlage). Malls in the USA are usually cooled to the point of near freezing, but no such luck in Berlin. Cars with A/C are another typical option in the USA, but we are public transport only in Germany. S-Bahns are notoriously an inferno with open windows frequently snapped shut with a curt “Es zieht!” (rumour has it new S-Bahns may come with A/C). Buses and trams can offer some relief, but it is not reliable while U-Bahn is the best option with its (mostly) subterranean setting and fairly consistent A/C. So where else could provide precious A/C?

…enter the movie theater, or Kino. While the open-air movie theater (Freiluftkino) is at the mercy of whatever German weather throws at people, traditional Kinos almost always offer air conditioning. We’ve been twice in the month-long heat wave.

Of course you don’t just go to the theater to escape the heat. It is also a great form of entrainment and can offer valuable cultural insight. Hyde has covered the history of cinema in Germany including German Academy Award Winners. Berlin is also the site of a renowned film festival every February, Berlinale. You don’t have to reserve a trip to the Kino for a special time of year. Here is how to make the most of going to the movies in Germany.

Prizes from Berlinale PHOTO: Erin Porter

How to Find English-language Movies in Germany 

Dubbing a movie (synchronisiert) is big business in Germany with a large market of German-speakers. German voice actors’ entire career is made if “their” actor takes off like a Brad Pitt or Julie Roberts.

It is possible to find original language movies. Former German-Way blogger Jay gave a handy breakdown of what to look for when searching for original language movie listings:

• OV/OF (Originalversion / Originalfassung) – Original version with no dubbing / subtitles
• OmU (Original mit Untertiteln) – Original audio with German subtitles
• OmenglU (Original mit englischen Untertiteln) – Original audio with English subtitles.
• DF (Deutsche Fassung) – German Version, dubbed into German

Independent theater chains like Yorck Kinos in Berlin usually feature movies in original language, plus they have unique venues and less superfluous charges than megachains.

Changing Movie Titles Internationally 

Even when you’ve got these handy code words for finding the non-dubbed version of a movie, you may need to double-check the name of the film. It is not uncommon for major blockbusters to be called something different abroad. “Star Wars” is called “Krieg der Sterne” in Germany, and Disney movie “Moana” became “Vaiana – Das Paradies hat einen Haken (Vaiana – Paradise has a snag)” when they realized the original shared its name with a famed Italian porn star.

This is happening less and less as English becomes the default second language, but it does still happen.

Movie Release Dates in Germany

Germany gets almost all of the major releases you would expect in the places like the USA. Often the release date is a few weeks after its premiere, but sometimes movies arrive early in German-speaking countries. Check the film’s information for its release in the country you are in.

Top Films in Germany by year from the Deutsche Kinemathek PHOTO: Erin Porter

German Movie Theater Prices

Karten (tickets) normally cost around 9-11 euro, but may be higher with special features like IMAX or 3D. There are frequently surcharges for buying tickets online. There are also angebot (specials) on Kinotage (discount cinema days), usually from Monday to Wednesday. There may be a student or senior discount if you can present an ID, as well as family and matinee discounts.

German Movie Theater Seat Assignments

Movie tickets usually come with a seat reservation. You can scour the seat map online, or ask the cashier for suggestions. Theaters may offer love seats or historic cinemas like Kino International in Berlin provide a seat in cultural icon, not just a generic theater.

Unlike in North America, most German movie-goers treat these seat assignments as ironclad. Even if the theater is empty, ticket holders will demand their exact seat location.

German Movie Ratings

The Freiwillige Selbstkontrolle der Filmwirtschaft (FSK) is Germany’s motion picture rating organization. They decide which films are appropriate for different age groups.

• FSK 0 (white sign) ― No age restriction
• FSK 6 (yellow sign) ― Approved for ages 6 and up. No admission to children under 6
• FSK 12 (green sign) ― Approved for ages 12 and up. Children ages 6-11 years admitted only with parental accompaniment.
• FSK 16 (blue sign) ― Approved for ages 16 and older. No one under this age admitted.
• FSK 18 (red sign) ― Adults only.

These ratings are meant to guide your decisions on what to show your children, but obviously not all movie-goers agree they get it right evidenced by former blogger Sarah’s surprise at what made it into a FSK 12 movie.

On the other hand, cinema attendants uphold these standards rigorously – much to my chagrin. When we tried to attend “Lightyear” as a family last month, we were stopped as we hadn’t realized the film was FSK 6 and we had a 3.5 year old. Whoops! Luckily this time one of the workers took pity on us and let us in after the supervisor left.

Treats and Sweets at German Movie Theaters

I was appalled the first time I tried German popcorn. It was sweet! This has become something of a family divide as my Berlin-born children are all for sweet popcorn (süßes Popcorn) and my husband and I are staunchly salzig (salty).  Both are usually available, but it appears to me most Germans opt for the kettle corn-like version.

Candy is candy, but other differences are in drink selection. There are the typical sodas joined by bionade and saft, but don’t be surprised to find Bier, Wein or even Longdrinks (mixed drinks) on the menu.

If you miss snacks upon entry, longer films (over 2 hours) may have an intermission where you can go get snacks, or they may come to you with attendants wandering the aisles with an old-timey tray of sweets. This tradition is sadly falling out of fashion, but still happens on occasion.

Enjoy your trip to the movies and finally getting the chance to use the beginner German phrase, “Wir gehen ins Kino!”