10 of the world’s most beautiful open-air cinemas, from Mies’s Pavilion to the rooftops of Athens

Every summer the Mies van der Rohe Pavilion, built for the 1929 Barcelona World's Fair, is transformed into an open-air cinema and sharing space. Pantalla Pavelló is the title of the initiative, which for the 2025 edition (of which the last date is Sept. 1) focuses on the theme of home with the exhibition We are the houses we live in: The Zone of Interest by Jonathan Glazer, Casa Reynal by Laia Manresa and Parasite by Bong Joon-ho, three films that investigate the relationship between architecture and domestic life. The long travertine wall, which defines the boundary of the podium and accompanies the path to the courtyard, becomes a projection surface.

With more than a century of history, the Hollywood Bowl is the most iconic outdoor amphitheater in Los Angeles. The famed acoustic shell, built in 1929 by Allied Architects and then renovated by Frank Gehry, and finally by Hodgetts + Fung with Arup in 2004, has become a symbol of the place. Here, every summer, architecture meets cinema: films projected on the big screen are accompanied live by the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra and the Los Angeles Philharmonic. The soundtracks of cult films-from E.T. to Star Wars, via Jurassic Park-are featured in memorable evenings, often under the direction of the composers themselves, as happened for many years with John Williams. With affordable tickets and a BYOB (Bring Your Own Bottle) policy, the Hollywood Bowl reinvents the outdoor cinema experience.

In the shadow of the grandiose architecture of the Athenian Acropolis, which has dominated the city since the fifth century B.C., sits Ciné Paris, a historic open-air cinema in the Plaka district of Athens, a cultural icon deeply rooted in the city's collective memory. Born in the 1920s out of a Greek hairdresser's passion for cinema inspired by the French capital, the history of Ciné Paris began with screenings in an enclosed space, then moved in the 1960s to the current building at No. 22 Kidathineon Street. After a long closure, it reopened in 2024 thanks to an architectural renovation curated by Cinobo with SpatialArchitecture + Design and MB Studio, which enhanced terrazzo, lighting and accessibility. Today, with more than a century of history and programming between cult films and new releases, Ciné Paris is an institution where the most exciting stories of the silver screen meet the magic of Athenian nights.

What could be more New Yorker than watching George Gershwin's Porgy and Bess projected on a huge big screen in Lincoln Center Plaza, with the Metropolitan Opera's stunning Marc Chagall murals in the background, surrounded by the soft lights of the Upper West Side? The MET Opera's Summer HD Festival, from August 22 to September 1, returns again this year with ten free performances. Among the operas scheduled for Summer 2025 are Verdi's grandiose Aida, Beethoven's Fidelio and Jeanine Tesori's Grounded. In addition, the biopic Maestro, co-presented with Film at Lincoln Center and Netflix, will be screened.

Sydney's skyline, with the unmistakable Opera House and the Harbour Bridge framing one of the world's most spectacular harbors, provides an evocative backdrop for the Westpac OpenAir screenings. At sunset, when the light reflects off the water and the city lights up, the movie screen slowly emerges from the bay, rising up to three stories above sea level. In this unique setting, amid sea breezes and plays of light, an unparalleled cinematic experience comes to life. Viewers can choose from a variety of formulas, from simple seating to an exclusive gourmet dinner served at the table, to enjoy the movie in total relaxation under the stars.

The three towers of CityLife, designed by Arata Isozaki, Daniel Libeskind and Zaha Hadid, draw an exceptional architectural panorama and serve as the backdrop for the outdoor screenings of the AriAnteo summer festival, promoted by Anteo. But the experience of cinema under the stars extends far beyond the neighborhood: AriAnteo also inhabits other symbolic places in the city, transforming Milan into a diffuse stage. Among the most evocative venues are AriAnteo Fabbrica del Vapore, AriAnteo Incoronata, with its intimate atmosphere in the heart of the city, and AriAnteo Palazzo Reale, where cinema meets art in one of the city's most representative historic buildings. On the program, a selection of films ranging from new, cult and art-house cinema.

Designed by Bernard Tschumi as a large open-air laboratory, the Parc de la Villette is one of the most emblematic examples of contemporary architecture applied to public space, with its red folies, and geometric paths. In this unique urban and cultural context, the famous Villette open-air cinema returns-after a break for Club France and Paris 2024-a must-see event of the Parisian summer, thanks to which viewers can watch movies while lying on a blanket or comfortably seated on a deckchair. Among this year's new features: screenings for all ages at 6 p.m., an earlier start at 9 p.m. thanks to a new screen and online reservations. The common thread linking the titles of the 2025 edition is dedicated to dance and music.

Symbol of Brutalist architecture, London's Barbican is an urban masterpiece conceived as a "city within a city" by architects Chamberlin, Powell and Bon. Built on an area devastated by World War II bombing, the complex combines inspirations ranging from Roman fortifications to Scandinavian design. In summer, its iconic Sculpture Court is transformed into an outdoor film arena: a chance to watch auteur and international cult films, from David Lynch to Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives (12A) by Apichatpong Weerasethakul, via the films of Wes Anderson and Godzilla, with the London skyline at sunset in the background.

Designed by Coop Himmelb(l)au studio, the Busan Cinema Center is an architectural icon where public space, culture, entertainment and cutting-edge technology meet. The complex is distinguished by the imposing suspended roof covering the four-thousand-seat open-air theater, the center's beating heart and main event location for the prestigious Busan International Film Festival. Every Tuesday evening until the end of August, the arena hosts free outdoor screenings, offering a unique and immersive film experience under one of the world's most spectacular and innovative rooftops, in an atmosphere that combines art, architecture, and community.

When the sun sets behind the imposing neo-Gothic architecture of the Wiener Rathaus, the city hall of the city of Vienna, the Rathausplatz is transformed into the setting for one of the world's most atmospheric outdoor cinemas: the Music Film Festival on Rathausplatz. For more than 30 years, this free event has presented open-air screenings of films, musicals, and operas and symphonies on a three-hundred-square-meter LED screen, accompanied by an inviting international gastronomic offering. From late June to the end of August, screenings of operas, concerts, and ballets featuring stars such as soprano Anna Netrebko, the Vienna Philharmonic, more contemporary productions such as Billie Eilish's concerts at the O2 Arena, or some of Glastonbury's most unforgettable performances, as well as tributes to jazz greats such as Oscar Peterson, who would have turned 100 this year.