Day 11: A True Taste of Georgian Cinema Culture (and Popcorn Culture Shock)

Wednesday was a normal school day where we focused on our usual project work, but once the afternoon wrapped up, I decided to head back out to East Point for a solo movie night.

If you are a student moving to Tbilisi, going to the cinema here is an absolute must-experience—partly because it’s ridiculously cheap, and partly because the snack counter is a whole different ballgame.

Here is what went down on my first Georgian cinema run:

1. The Movie: The Devil Wears Prada 2 👠

I managed to catch an English-language screening of the brand-new sequel, The Devil Wears Prada 2. Watching Miranda Priestly and Andy Sachs back on the big screen was awesome, but what made it even better was the actual theater experience.

2. The Popcorn System Shock: Cheese vs. Caramel

When you walk up to a cinema counter in Germany, your default choices are usually sweet (süß) or salty (salzig). In Tbilisi, they have completely different parameters for movie snacks:

• No Normal Salty Popcorn: Instead of standard salted popcorn, their savory option is Cheese Popcorn. It's incredibly intensely flavored and completely different from what we are used to back home.

• The Only Sweet Option: If you want sweet popcorn, they don't do regular sugar-tossed kernels. Your only option is Caramel Popcorn, which has a heavy, crunchy glaze on it. This was my first time ever trying it, and honestly, it was amazing. It might actually be better than standard German sweet popcorn!

3. VIP Treatment on a Student Budget

The absolute best part about going to the movies in Tbilisi is the price. I decided to treat myself and booked a Premium Seat for the show.

Back home, a premium or VIP ticket can easily cost you 15 to 20 Euros. Here? The entire premium ticket cost me just 10 GEL—which is only about 3 Euro. Getting a luxury theater experience for less than the price of a German fast-food snack is the ultimate perk of student life in Georgia.

Student to Student Tip: When you're checking movie times online, look specifically for listings marked "EN" or "Original Version". Tbilisi theaters show a lot of Hollywood movies in English with Georgian subtitles, so you don't have to worry about missing anything if your Georgian isn't fluent yet. Go straight to East Point, spend 10 Lari, and enjoy the caramel popcorn!