At the south end of the upper floor at the Bawadi Mall in Al Ain is Grand Cinemas with 8 screens. It’s 30 AED for a ticket, and 35 AED for a seat in the VIP section which takes up the back 3 rows.
One challenge: when our sons were aged 10 and 7, we took them to see the remake of The Karate Kid at the Bawadi Mall Cinemas. Before the film started we were treated to several trailers as per usual… including for a pretty graphic 18-rated horror film featuring zombies and a few sudden, very brief scary bits. The boys didn’t say anything at the time, so I said nothing, but 6 months later my youngest son mentioned that trailer in passing.
In the spring of 2012 we 4 were again in Bawadi Mall Cinemas, and again our children saw the gruesome trailer for an upcoming horror movie.
So be aware that, very occasionally, you may be in the cinema with young children and see a trailer which isn’t really suitable.
You can only pay for tickets in cash. The staff, like in a number of outlets in Al Ain who only take cash, can be reluctant to give change, and do occasionally seem to be low on change, so it’s best to have the right change with you when you visit
Lastly, you cannot find out what films are showing here by looking online. You could find details online until around May 2010, but since then, and as of the time of writing, April 2012, there have been no listings on the Grand Cinemas website.
You can pick up a colour brochure showing current and upcoming films and showtimes, but the staff have told me that there are occasional errors in the showtimes printed.
So if you want to find out what’s on, you’ll have to call them on 03 784 0300.
The staff’s accent is often so thick that it’s very difficult to work out a movie title. So when I rang the other day, I was told about one new movie that sounded like Threat of the Takehouse. I tried to get the guy to say the words more slowly but this was the best I could do. I checked online for movies showing at the Rotana, and found a movie there called Wrath Of The Titans! That was what he was trying to convey to me! 🙂
Apart from these minor issues, this is a superb cinema.