Medellín Movie Theater Guide

January 29, 2015 By Jeff 8 Comments

Going to the movies is a popular outing for Colombians and Medellín has several movie theaters in the city. The majority of movies shown in Medellín are Spanish language but some movies are in English with Spanish subtitles.
Occasionally movies premier in Colombia before in the United States so it is sometimes possible to see a new movie premiere here in Colombia before it opens in the States.
The movie theaters in Colombia tend to be smaller than in the United States but they typically have reserved seats. When you buy your movie tickets in Colombia you can also select your seats.
It is recommended to buy tickets early for newly released popular movies, as they tend to sell out quickly in some theaters, especially on the weekends (Friday and Saturday nights).
Each of the movie theaters in Medellín will have concessions selling popcorn, hot dogs, drinks and other snacks.
Keep in mind that movie theaters in Colombia and other parts of the world typically make a killing selling popcorn, candy, and soda. Some have estimated that profits from movie theater concessions are as high as 85 percent.
That is why movie theaters in Medellín typically have a policy of customers not being able to bring in outside food and drinks.

Box Office Openings in Colombia

Colombia has a relatively small film industry so most of the box office openings each year in Colombia are foreign films. Each year there is now over 200 new movies shown in Colombia.
In 2013, there was a total of 244 box office openings for movies in Colombia and 227 of these were foreign films. In 2012, there was a total of 213 box office openings in Colombia and 191 of these were foreign films.

Movie Theater Chains

Colombia has six major commercial movie theater chains with five of these chains having movie theaters in Medellín:

• Cinemark
• Cine Colombia
• Cinemas Procinal
• Cinépolis
• Royal Films

Cineland is another chain without theaters in Medellín. They have movie theaters in Barranquilla, Cartagena, Valledupar, Santa Marta and Riohacha.
The Cinemark movie theater chain has six theaters in Bogotá, one in the El Tesoro mall in Medellín, as well as theaters in many other cities in Colombia.
Most of the movie theaters in Medellín are found in the malls.
Cine Colombia is Colombia’s largest movie theater chain in Colombia with theaters in 12 cities. In Medellín, it has five locations, in Los Molinos, Oviedo, Santafé, Unicentro and Vizcaya.
Cine Colombia also has cinemas in Armenia, Barranquilla, Bogotá, Bucaramanga, Cali, Cartagena, Ibagué, Manizales, Montería, Pereira and Villavicencio.
Cine Colombia has the Cineco frequent moviegoer card that provides discounts for movies. The card cost 6,500 pesos ($2.70). For every 1,200 pesos in spending at Cine Colombia you receive one point.   Points can be redeemed for movie tickets and food products.
For example, 100 points can be redeemed for a general admission 2D movie ticket.

Cinemas Procinal in Puerta del Norte mall

Cinemas Procinal is a movie theater chain with theaters in seven cities in Colombia. In Medellín, Cinemas Procinal has six locations: in the Monterrey, Las Américas, Florida Parque, Mayorca, Puerta del Norte and Aves Maria malls.
The movie theater chain also has cinemas in Apartadó, Bogotá, Barrancabermeja, Cartagena, Rionegro and Villavicencio.
Similar to Cine Colombia, Cinemas Procinal has a frequent moviegoer card. With this card you can buy tickets at discounted rates and receive discounts on food and beverages.

Royal Films in Premium Plaza mall

Royal Films is a movie theater chain in Colombia with movie theaters in over 20 cities. In Medellín, Royal Films has three locations: Premium Plaza, Bosque Plaza and on La 65.
Similar to Cine Colombia and Cinemas Procinal, Royal Films also has a frequent moviegoer card, Cliente Royal, which I understand is free. With the card you can buy tickets at discounted rates and receive a free movie ticket on your birthday.

Cinépolis in City Plaza mall

Cinépolis is a movie theater chain in Colombia with only six theaters in the country. In Medellín, Cinépolis only has a theater in the City Plaza mall in Envigado.
The movie theater chain has more theaters in Bogotá (two cinemas), Barrancabermeja and Cali (two cinemas).

Movie Ticket Costs

In Medellín, movie ticket prices depend on the neighborhood, the time of day and the day of the week. Also preferential seating (the better higher up seats) will be more expensive than general admission seating.
Movies before 3 p.m. or after 10:30 p.m. tend to be lower cost. Also movies shown on Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays and holidays tend to be higher cost during popular times. In addition, 3D movies will be more expensive.
For example, at the Los Molinos Cine Colombia, for 2D movies shown on Monday, Tuesday or Thursday, the price is 8,500 pesos ($3.52) for general admission for movies before 3pm or after 10:30 p.m. For 3D movies during these times, the price for general admission is 11,500 pesos ($4.78).
On Wednesday at the Los Molinos Cine Colombia the price is cheap at 4,250 pesos ($1.76) for 2D general admission movies before 3 p.m. or after 10:30 p.m.
On Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays and holidays at Los Molinos the price is 8,500 pesos ($3.52) for general admission for 2D movies before 3 p.m. or after 10:30 p.m.
For movies between 9pm and 10:30pm, the price is higher. For example, in Los Molinos on Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays and holidays the price is 10,500 pesos ($4.36) for general admission tickets for 2D movies between 3 p.m. and 10:30 p.m.
In El Poblado ticket prices for movies are generally higher than other neighborhoods in the city.
For example, at the Santafé mall, Cine Colombia charges 12,500 pesos ($5.19) on Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays and holidays for general admission for 2D movies between 3 p.m. and 10:30 p.m. (2,000 pesos higher than Cine Colombia at the Los Molinos mall).

The Bottom Line

Movie ticket prices in Colombia are nearly 50 percent cheaper than in the US. In 2014, the average ticket price at North American movie theaters was $8.12 (through November).
In Medellín the average movie ticket price is likely less than $4.50.
In 2011 (the most recent accurate data for Colombia I could find) the average ticket price at Colombia movie theaters was $4.19, which compared to $7.93 in North America in 2011.

What Lies Behind the Use of the Word “Gringo”

January 26, 2015 By Ximena 16 Comments

Editor’s Note: This is the second story by our newest contributor, Ximena Restrepo.
Recently, I’ve been confronted with an intrigue about the many interpretations of the term “gringo.”
Growing up in the middle of the United States with my Hispanic appearance it wasn’t uncommon for my friends to refer to me as “Latina” and for my acquaintances to assume I was Mexican.
Being called Latina simply referred to my roots so I took no offense, but though I deeply admire Mexican culture and beauty, I understood my context enough to know that, apart from it being an incorrect inference of my origin, being called “Mexican” wasn’t a compliment.
Trust me, I’m no stranger to racial slurs; but — cue flashback of Dorothy — I’m not in Kansas anymore.
Until a few months ago, I was completely unaware that there were so many people who took offense to being associated with the term “gringo.”
To me, as a Colombian, it made no sense: “gringos” are people that we (Colombians) notice as foreign, different in the way they dress, speak, and behave, aren’t they?
The word isn’t derogatory or xenophobic; on the contrary, it has a sort of awe behind it. That is to say, in context, Colombians (specifically those who haven’t deeply interacted with many foreigners before) tend to call them “gringos” in a completely innocent, curious way.
What foreigners sometimes don’t understand is that tourism has grown so quickly in the last decade. When I was a child, I can’t remember ever seeing a foreigner until I traveled to the United States when I was 5, and even then, I was the foreigner, not them.
The go-to reference that foreign = American always is only expressed by a handful of Colombians and isn’t due to a rejection of other foreign cultures. It’s a side effect of the huge influence (commercial, economic, and in media) the United States has had on Latin America.
According to SITUR (Sistema de Indicadores Turísticos), in 2004 a total of 5,531 tourists visited Antioquia, which more than tripled by July of 2013 when 18,836 tourists visited. The amount of foreigners visiting our country is overwhelming and difficult to process.
It’s natural that Colombians have resorted to innocently placing them all in one category: “gringos.” The same way that foreigners speak of us saying “Colombians are so…” or “Paisas always…” Colombians see them as well. It is a simple question of mutual culture shock: Us and Them.
More importantly, as many tourists notice, race isn’t a matter of critical importance here. A foreigner is identified by Colombians because of behavior, dressing preference, brands on their belongings, among (possibly) race related factors, not solely on skin color, so I don’t consider the term at hand a racial slur at all.

Who is a “Gringo?”

NPR blog author Aida Ramírez in her article “Who, exactly, is a Gringo?” states that:

“Gringo can be used to broadly and inoffensively refer to a group of U.S. citizens. I’ve also heard it used as a term for Europeans. I’ve heard the term used as a name for people who don’t speak Spanish. It can also be used to refer to Hispanics who speak very little or no Spanish at all. Gringo is also sometimes used as a name for Hispanics who are not in touch with their Latino roots, or for any person who is ignorant of Latin American culture or history.”

The online Urban Dictionary says “gringo” is the Mexican’s way of referring to U.S. residents and that: “With time it lost all derogatory status and was turned into the most common word to refer to any U.S. citizen.”
The first definition is more consistent with the way I have used and heard the term my entire life, but it is important to emphasize how it has lost derogatory status.
I was surprised to see that some people I knew would stand up and walk away during conversations that included the term at all.
I found that slightly drastic, but the reaction intrigued me. What is it about the word “gringo” that brings discomfort to some? Do people in Medellín use the term in a derogatory way?

The Origin of “Gringo”

The origin of Gringo, admittedly, is blurry. There have been a series of studies that come to conclusions from the Mexican-American War in 1846, in which American troops were dressed in green uniforms and often heard “green go home,” while other theories refer to the green American dollar, still others about marching chants, etc.
Now, before you roll your eyes and say this is old news, consider this: a number of theories point further back to the 17th and 18th centuries about the word being a Spanish (as in from Spain) derivative of “peregrino” or pilgrim, and of “griego,” from an expression of “it’s like you’re speaking Greek” or being misunderstood, meaning the term wouldn’t originally have referred to people from the United States.
In Vocabulario de Mexicanismos, Joaquín García Icazbalceta affirms that:

“The dictionary says only that GRINGO is equal to greek in the way that speaking in GRINGO means doing so in an unintelligible language. It doesn’t apply to people. However, it was already used in Spain more than a century ago.”

He goes on to explain how certain communities have called foreigners from specific places “gringo,” according to how they speak or what language they use. (In Madrid it’s used particularly on Irish and on Italians, the same way in Mexico [and Colombia] it is used on Americans and Europeans.)
All of these explanations derive from linguistic progression. Unfortunately, they didn’t completely answer my question:

Do people in Medellín use the term offensively? I decided, then, to ask people directly.

Straight to the Source

When asked about the origin of the word, all the interviewees said they hadn’t heard of any theory. This could be coincidental, a large amount of people assume that it comes from the Mexican-American war and that this gives it the hue of rejection.
It’s not a means of erasing individuality as a person. On the contrary, calling foreigners “gringos” embraces and welcomes the fact that they’re different.
Even without knowledge of its innocent beginnings, most felt that the term on its own is harmless but could be made offensive in a certain tone or with an added adjective: the same way “Paisa” could, the same way “Colombian” could, the same way “Latino” or “Hispanic” could be made derogatory — with added intention.
Both Us and Them are vulnerable to sensitivities, but the context seems to lead to the idea that Colombians aren’t looking  to put foreigners down with a simple, “Oye, Gringo!”

Tuesday, February 3rd, 2015

I slept straight through from 10:30 to 4am when I got up to use the bathroom.  Even though I didn’t sleep much after that I still consider that a good night’s sleep.

It was another interesting morning.

I got up at 7:30, took my shower and was ready to leave by 8:45.  

As usual, while Teresa was locking the doors I started walking up the hill.  I always wait in sight until she sees me and starts coming up the hill herself.  She called to me “do you have your cell phone”?  I realized I didn’t bring it with me so I replied “no, I don’t have it”.  She repeated the question and I repeated my answer.  I know we usually use the phone to call Walter for a ride back from the market but I figured she probably had another option.

We got past the killer dogs undetected finally hearing one of them barking.  As we neared the top of the hill I saw the doberman waiting for us.  He looked kind of lost like he didn’t know what to do.  He wasn’t aggressive and moved behind a barbed wire fence.  I had a dog biscuit with me and tossed it to him.  It hit the barbed wire and fell straight down.  He picked it up and carried it away and started eating it.  I’m hoping I can make a friend out of him so he won’t be so aggressive with us.  As I turned to leave I saw the neighbor who owns the dog coming towards us.  Teresa talked to him a minute and I hope she explained what I was doing.

At the bottom of the hill we quickly caught a bus.  Teresa got the last seat in the back and while I was standing nearby she informed me we were on the wrong bus – our bus goes to Medellin, not Caldas.  We got off the bus, only paying 2 mil, at the intersection where the highway meets the road leading into Caldas.  We walked across the street and caught a bus to downtown Caldas for another 2 mil.

At the entrance to the Merkepaisa grocery she asked me for my cell phone so she could call Walter.  I reminded her that I told her I didn’t have my cell phone with me.  She decided we would buy some meat today (only what we could easily carry) and come back tomorrow for the rest.

There were 4 butchers behind the counter and about 10 ladies already waiting.  They were serving number 17 and Teresa took number 26.  Twenty minutes later it was her turn.  We bought 2 packages of meat for about 122mil that she paid for.  She learned that the meat sale doesn’t end at 10am, it’s at noon.  We waited a couple blocks away for a bus back to the finca.

We got past the killer dogs undetected.

I checked the MBE website and my supplements and 2 documents are in Miami.

I finally removed my old toenail.  It was only held on by a small piece of skin but I was too much of a wuss to just pull it off so I kept trimming it down with toenail clippers until there almost nothing left.

The three of us watched The Way Back (7.3) which they really liked.

I took my sleeping pills at 10:30 and we went to bed at 11pm.

T-shirt of the day: Let’s enjoy.

Monday, February 2nd, 2015

Happy Groundhog Day!  I understand he saw his shadow so YOU will have 6 more weeks of winter.  Lol!

I got up at 8:30am.

We left the finca at 11:30 and the killer dogs went crazy but didn’t come from out behind the fence around their finca.

After only a couple minutes we caught a bus to Aquacatala.  From there we caught a Circular Sur 303 bus to Calle 19 and it was a short walk up to Immigration.  Almost no one was waiting, they quickly gave me my Cedula, I signed for it and we were ready to leave.  I asked them where I could get my Cedula copied and laminated and I understood they didn’t want to hear that.  

When we left and were walking down to Avenida 80 Teresa asked why I wanted to have a laminated copy.  I told her if someone steals my fanny pack with my real Cedula inside then I have nothing.

Teresa told me Vicky will meet us at Viva CC at 3:30 with my money.

We took a taxi to Viva CC, I took cash out of my checking account, and made my medical insurance payment.  There weren’t any deposit forms there but I still made it.  I guess all you need now is to give them the information they need in any manner.  Then Teresa led me into another room in the bank where I understood she talked to one of the officers.  I still don’t know exactly what she did.

We each had the Chicken Mandariyaki and soda at Sarku’s for a total of 33mil.  I asked Teresa if she wanted to talk to someone at Exito about a trip to San Andres and she told me she wanted to talk to someone at Avinca airlines.  I told her there is an office across the street but she wants to stop at one in Envigado.

I gave her 5 mil so she could buy bandaids for bruises she was getting from her shoes and I walked down to the Golden Palermo Hotel where I found it would cost my brother 152mil (about $64) to stay for one night.

 I met her back at Viva CC then I walked over to the corner store where I added 20mil to my cell phone.  I noticed they are remodeling Redd’s, the bar on Avenida 80.  I walked about 3 more blocks to a paper store where I hoped to buy more note pads but they were closed – maybe forever.    

Coming in through the back way of Exito I noticed they have the large bottles of liquid soap for sale.  I explained they don’t always have it for sale so I bought a bottle along with a couple packages of gum for 12,010.

Teresa called Vicky again and we learned her husband is in Rionegro so we’re going to get the cash on Wednesday or Thursday.

We took a bus to Aguacatala and after a short wait we got a direct bus to the finca.  We got past the killer dogs undetected.

Laura brought home the epm electric bill of 79,983 that we will pay tomorrow while we are in Caldas.

I gave Laura 100mil to make the February payment for the exercise machine tomorrow.

T-shirt of the day: Peace.

Sunday, February 1st, 2015

I woke/got up at 9 and put together the waffle mix for 4 people with a cup of chocolate chips.  Teresa didn’t like the chocolate at all and Laura and I both agreed I used too many.

We showed Jhon how Peter loves the water.

Jhon and I took turns playing Youtube music videos that we showed on the TV.  Most of his music was Colombian but he did play a couple Country & Western songs.  While we did that Jhon and Teresa drank a pint of rum with water.  

At 6:30 I switched the TV to the Superbowl.  It was on 4 channels but all the broadcasts were in Spanish and without the American commercials.  I plan on changing that for next year.  Jhon left as the game was starting and Teresa and Laura walked him up to the top of the hill.

I’ve been watching some very funny Youtube videos on my iPad about men, women, marriage and relationships by a minister named Mark Gungor.  I laughed so much Teresa looked at me like I’m crazy.  I finally decided to see if there was a version in Spanish and I did find some portions with Spanish subtitles.  Teresa, Laura and I watched a 10 minute segment and we all laughed real hard, especially me.

T-shirt of the day: It’s supposed to hurt.

Saturday, January 31st, 2015

I got up at 8:30 and my back, for the first time all week, felt near normal again.

At 10:15 the electricity went out.  Laura left for her English lesson 5 minutes later.  Teresa said if the electricity doesn’t come back on we’ll tell Jhon to come some other weekend.  That means we have to be back no later than 4pm so we can call and tell them whether the electricity is back on or not.

I put 4 dog biscuits in my fanny pack and we left the finca at 11:55am and the electricity came back on just before we left.  We got past the killer dogs undetected.  After a 10 minute wait we were on a bus to Envigado.  Teresa pointed out this bus had a restroom.  Teresa got the driver to drop us off right behind Home Center.

First I took some cash out of the ATM.  I gave Teresa 500mil for food for the first half of February.  While we were shopping we heard a lot of noise above us that we thought was rain.  I guess she asked someone working there because a minute later she told me it was just the air conditioners.  I picked up a small package of hooks for the closet, Teresa picked up some brushes and paint.  I understand she wants to repaint my old kitchen chairs white.  I charged everything for 87,500.

We walked across the street to La Bahia where we had a nice lunch for about 18mil.  The family at the neighboring table had a dog sitting under their table.  At my urging Teresa got permission for me to give it a dog biscuit.  Of course that generated a conversation between her and them. 

We walked back to Exito where I bought some expensive face cream for Teresa for 61,841.  We picked up some groceries that Teresa paid about 95mil for.  We took a taxi to the highway and after a 15 minute wait we got a cash ride back to the finca.

With each of us carrying a couple plastic bags we got past the killer dogs undetected.

At 5:45 I noticed Teresa opening all the shutters.  She sometimes does that when she’s burning garbage out back and it blows in the house.  She started coughing and gagging and I soon understood she accidentally shot off the pepper spray in the house.  A few seconds later it hit me and we both had to leave the house for a couple minutes.  I think it felt like the can was empty and she tried to verify if it really was.  It’s a good thing it was the nearly empty can she used instead of the full one.

Jhon arrived with Laura at 6:15.  We spent most of the evening just sitting around and talking.  We discussed my brother’s trip at the end of February and my need to sign a legal document and return it to the US.  Teresa had the great idea of suggesting that they get it to my brother to bring with him, I sign it, and they pick it up from him when he gets back.  On the US side it could probably be done entirely by mail.  One thing I learned is that Laura doesn’t like people to say her name with the English pronunciation – Lora - because it Spanish it means parrot.  She pronounces it more like Lawra.  We finally went to bed at 12:30.

T-shirt of the day: Do what you love.

Friday, January 30th, 2015

I heard Laura talking to Teresa a little longer than usual about 4 or 5 in the morning but I didn’t notice Teresa getting up to help her.

I got up at 6:30 when the Terriers started getting noisy.  I shushed them and then decided to take a couple more Excedrin Migraine tablets to ward off any more back pain.  When I opened the refrigerator door for the water pitcher I noticed the light was out.  One more thing I need to fix in the morning; hopefully Teresa has a spare bulb.

I got up at 8am and Teresa told me there aren’t any lights.  Not only are there no lights, there isn’t any electricity.  That explains the lack of a light when I was in the refrigerator earlier.  Teresa told me that because of that Laura didn’t go to school today.  I did my exercises and then started writing my blog; I have a little more than 2 hours on my laptop using the battery, the problem is that it is difficult to see the keyboard.  The only light is coming in through a window facing me but the laptop screen puts the keyboard in a shadow.

I finished John Grisham’s 359 page novel The Last Juror and downloaded his 467 page novel A Time to Kill.

I took a nap from 10am to 11am and then the lights came back on.

For the first time the “free coins” malware finally came to the forefront.  I googled for a solution and the first suggestion that came up was to download some software named Spyhunter.  I googled Spyhunter and received mixed reviews as to its effectiveness.  First of all it costs something like $30 every 6 months to use it.  I ran Malwarebytes Anti-malware again and after a 27 minute “heuristic analysis” scan, it reported it had found 0 “infected objects”.  I ran AdwCleaner again and it didn’t find anything either.

I finally realized that “free coins” was associated with a C Drive Desktop App that was installed on my computer on 1/21/15.  I uninstalled it and it went away.  Yay!  Now, for the first time in months, I feel like my computer is clean!

I checked my checking account and I have 2 of my pension deposits so we’re good to go for Envigado tomorrow.

We just had a little excitement.  The Terriers were going a little crazy and a minute later 2 young men walked out of the garden.  Teresa talked to them a minute and I understand they were from another finca and were just walking around the area.  A minute later the Terriers were getting crazier and then we saw why – another dog – a large one came out of the garden.  Teresa was immediately afraid but I sensed he was a nice dog and tried to get him to come to be so I could pet him.  The Terriers surrounded him and kept hasseling him but he mainly ignored them.  Occasionally he would attack one so they would back off.  Finally one of the young men came back and led the dog away.

At 2:15 it started raining lightly and then it turned into a full blown thunderstorm that was still rumbling off in the distance at 4:30.

I checked the US movie releases and I would like to see Project Almanac (6.8) and The Loft (7.2).

Locally, I would like to see American Sniper (7.6) playing at Molinos & Santafe and Birdman (8.3) playing at Santafe.

We started watching Entre Nos (7.4), interestingly, a movie in Spanish with English subtitles about a woman with 2 children trying to survive in New York.

We stopped at 8pm for the next episode of Master Chef.

We finished the movie but it was sad.  This is the storyline via www.imdb.com: “A story based on facts which offers a fresh take on the issue of new immigrants in the United States. Mariana totes her two children from Colombia to reunite with her husband in Queens, New York. Her life is devastatingly turned around when her husband abandons the family. The woman and her kids have to fend for themselves in a foreign country. Mariana desperately searches for work. In the end, she resourcefully navigates a surprising avenue for making some money, the city's recycling.”

I took my sleeping pills at 10:30 and we went to bed at 11pm.

I’d better get into town soon; I’m running out of t-shirt quotes.

T-shirt of the day: I have this desire to explore.