2 Best Performing Arts in The Southern Alps and Fiordland, New Zealand

The local institution, three-screen Cinema Paradiso is not your usual movie house—its seating includes couches, recliners, pillows, and even a yellow Morris Minor car or two. During intermission you can snack on homemade ice cream and warm cookies (straight out of the oven) or even have dinner with a glass of wine. Check the local paper or website for film details, and make sure you book ahead.

It may not have a flashy marquee, but Dorothy Brown's Boutique Cinema and Bar is a memorable movie house. The theater doesn't seat many people, but the chairs are cushy and have plenty of legroom. Better yet, you can get a glass of wine at the fireplace bar and bring it with you, along with a cheeseboard to nibble from, and if you run out, all screenings have an intermission. The schedule mixes Hollywood releases with art and international films, and they have 3D screenings here, too. Book ahead---it's popular.