HOYTS EntX is HOYTS' central Christchurch cinema, located at 617-649 Colombo Street in the heart of the city. It screens a full programme of current releases — blockbusters, family films, horror, documentaries, re-releases and international cinema (including films in other languages with English subtitles) — with sessions running throughout the day and evening and tickets bookable online or via the HOYTS app.
What sets this complex apart is the range of ways to watch. Standard sessions run in auditoriums fitted with HOYTS recliners, while Xtremescreen delivers big sound and big vision for event-scale movies, and selected sessions add Dolby Atmos surround sound. The cinema also carries HOYTS' Infinity Vision certification for screen presentation, projection and immersion, screens 3D films where releases support it, and offers HOYTS LUX — a premium dine-in experience combining fine wine, premium food and comfort.
Food and drink is part of the outing. Treat City is an immersive candy bar experience for classic movie treats, Artie's Bar & Café is a Parisian-inspired space that works as a café by day and a bar by night, and Ben & Jerry's scoop products and ice cream cakes are available. There's also a range of HOYTS Collectables, from popcorn tins to plush toys.
The cinema caters broadly to the community: open captioning is offered at all HOYTS locations, many sessions are flagged audio described (AD) and closed caption (CC), Sensory Screenings show family favourites in a sensory friendly cinema, and programs like Prams at the Pix and HOYTS Little Stars suit parents and young children. Best parking access is via the Lichfield Street or The Crossing car parks, with paid parking based on duration.
Cinema-going in central Christchurch has a natural home on Colombo Street: HOYTS EntX, at 617-649 Colombo Street in the city centre. It's a full-scale modern multiplex showing everything from superhero epics and animated adventures to horror, documentaries and international cinema, with sessions running through the day and evening and tickets bookable online or via the HOYTS app.
The line-up at any given time is broad. Recent programmes have ranged from a multi-generational witch story and Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey to a documentary on All Black great Jonah Lomu and a Mandarin-language film with English subtitles. Blockbusters, family films, re-releases and special encore screenings all share the schedule, and new titles open regularly.
What sets EntX apart is the choice of ways to watch. Standard sessions run in auditoriums fitted with HOYTS recliners, so you're watching from a comfy recliner rather than a fixed chair. If you want scale, Xtremescreen auditoriums deliver big sound and big vision, and selected sessions add Dolby Atmos surround sound, where audio moves around and above the audience. The complex also carries HOYTS' Infinity Vision certification — a standard covering screen presentation, sound, projection performance and overall immersion — and screens 3D films where releases call for it.
At the top end sits HOYTS LUX, the brand's premium dine-in cinema. LUX combines fine wine, premium food and comfort with the same cutting-edge sound and visuals as the rest of the complex, billed as the guaranteed best seat in the house. Sessions are labelled by experience — Recliners, Xtremescreen, LUX, Atmos — so you can pick exactly the format you want when you book.
A trip here isn't limited to the screen. Treat City is HOYTS' immersive candy bar experience, stocking the classic movie snacks. Artie's Bar & Café offers a Parisian-inspired space operating as a café by day and a bar by night, handy whether you're catching a matinee or an evening session. There's a Ben & Jerry's presence too, with scoop store treats before or after your movie and Ben & Jerry's ice cream cakes available. For a souvenir, the HOYTS Collectables range covers popcorn tins, cups, plush toys and merchandise tied to current releases.
Ticket pricing gets friendlier through a long list of standing offers. Cheap Tuesday brings discounted tickets all day, Sunday Sessions cover any movie before noon, and the Movie of the Week gives HOYTS Rewards members a discounted ticket to one selected film. Seniors aged 60+ get discounted tickets to sessions starting before 5pm, the Grandkids Movie Offer bundles a seniors ticket with child tickets, and family tickets unlock savings for groups of three or more seeing G or PG films. During school holidays, Rewards members can get discounted tickets on select family movies, and HOYTS Little Stars sessions bring the price down for everyone on selected kids' films. An Uber One partnership adds discounted tickets and free popcorn refills.
Families and guests with specific needs are well catered for. Prams at the Pix runs on Wednesday mornings for parents with babies, Mornings at the Movies offers hand-picked films Monday to Thursday mornings, and Sensory Screenings show family favourites in a sensory friendly cinema. Open captioning is offered at all HOYTS locations to assist guests who are hard-of-hearing or deaf, and individual sessions are flagged AD (audio description) and CC (closed caption).
Beyond ordinary screenings, the complex runs Main Stage for musical stories and events on the big screen, Hidden Gems for curated discoveries, and themed nights such as HOYTS Girls' Night and HOYTS Horror Night.
Practically speaking, the best parking access is via the Lichfield Street or The Crossing car parks, with payment based on duration, and the cinema can be reached on (03) 742 7143. Whether you're after a recliner and a crowd-pleaser, an Atmos-powered blockbuster or a wine-poured LUX night out, EntX packs the whole range into one Colombo Street address.