The limited menu was replaced by an extensive buffet and year-round restaurant. For those in the front row there are reclining chairs. Tourists Flock to Cinemas Oddly, the rebirth of the open-air cinema is occurring during multiplex madness. Three movie theaters with a total of 35 screens have opened since 1997 in the Athens area. Yet Maria Batistatou, a manager at the 10-screen Village Centre in a suburb north of Athens, says there appears to be room for all.
Many tourists also find the outdoor cinemas an unexpected treat.
Most cinemas back home are in shopping malls. In the summer it rains, in the winter it's cold. Greece may lead the way in keeping outdoor cinema alive, but it's not alone. Across the Mediterranean, places such as Italy, Spain and Turkey have seen the openings of new outdoor film venues. The Associated Press.