- Restaurants |
- Nightlife |
- Shopping |
- Coffee & Tea |
- All
Movieland Arcade
Category: Arts & Entertainment Arcades Arcades [Edit]
906 Granville StVancouver, BC V6Z 1L2
Neighbourhoods: Downtown, Granville Entertainment District
(604) 681-6915
- Hours:
Mon-Sun 10 am - 1 am
- Good for Kids:
- No
8 reviews for Movieland Arcade
8 reviews in English
-
Review from Neil H.
Vancouver, BC
12/8/2011 15 Check-ins Here
Movieland is one of my favourite places downtown.
Cheap pinball, classic arcade games, downtown weirdos, and peep shows. What more could you really ask for? -
Review from Lindsay E.
Vancouver, BC
11/28/2011 3 Check-ins Here
Some things you need to know about Movieland:
1. You don't need to bring quarters - the guy at the front has loads, he's awesome, tell him if a machine isn't working too and he'll stick a sign on it so nobody else loses a quarter. (He'll refund your money too)
2. In regards to the peep shows, you have to STEP IN and look through the creepy slot. I missed a good 10 secs of the first and last peep show I paid for because nobody mentioned that. btw - it's all from the 70's.
3. They have pretty good pinball. At least four machines, usually most of them work too. Try medieval madness and Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines.
4. Dont' expect to use the washroom and BYOHS (bring your own hand sanitizer)
5. It's an old dumpy arcade - set your expectations low and you'll be pleasantly surprised. This place is a gem in the bismal wasteland that is Granville street - enjoy it while you still can. -
Review from Jordan H.
3/14/2012 5 Check-ins Here
It's the only place in town you can play the Addams' Family table, and the owner keeps it in great shape. Make sure you say hi to the whistle-man, wash your hands before eating, and remember that the starbucks next door has a clean bathroom.
-
Review from Garth C.
11/22/2011 1 Check-in Here
Movieland is a classic arcade with just a hit of porn.
I love this place, it's like an arcade time capsule. It's one of the few places left where you can find decently maintained pinball games along with some retro stand up arcade machines. Don't expect to find new arcade games here, just be thankful the bathroom is there - I don't promise you that it's working.
I've been coming here since I've lived in Vancouver, since 97 and let me tell you this place has not changed a bit. If you remember a dark dirty arcade you will be happy to know it is still the same.
In the back there is some vintage gentlemen film booths, I can't say I've ever dropped a quarter there but I'm willing to bet the films are probably as old as the arcade.
So if you are in to some retro arcade gaming it's worth a visit, to me this place is an important piece to the history of the Granville mall and I hope this lasts for many years to come. -
Review from Rebecca S.
Movieland Arcade is the sketchiest arcade ever. There are plenty of arcade games, but in the back, there's a "theater for men", making it 18+ here.
The guy here let me exchange $1 American money for $1 Canadian money, which is pretty much the cheapest place to do it anywhere. I likes all the pinball options here. I played the Addam's Family and Playboy pinball. When I went here a couple years ago, the guy put a quarter in the Playboy machine and tapped my shoulder and said, "you play!!!", which I always thought was funny/weird.
I always feel really dirty after leaving this place though. It just feels a bit grimey, but I do like the pinball games with no kids around.Listed in: Vancouver, BC
-
Review from Jess C.
Burnaby, BC
1/25/2011
I have always been curious about Movieland Arcade and what lies inside ever since I passed by it for the first time and noticing the "18+ only" signs. When I walked passed it before, I only noticed various video game machines and never knew what could be so "18+" about it. Being only about 14 at the time I asked people in the area "what lies inside there?" and the only reply I got was "stay away from that place." Fast forward afew years and I'm 18 now. I needed to make a trip down to Tom Lee today to pick up some guitar strings and passed by Movieland along the way.
Feeding my curiousity, I decided to head inside. The doorman was reading the Chinese newspaper as he was sitting there so I just looked at him and said "I'm 18." He nodded his head and went back to reading as I walked in. I decided to explore the place abit as I've always wondered what lay behind those arcade games. I walked to the back and noticed the peep show booths but didn't have any interest in them, but right away it hit me that "aha! that's why this place is 18+!"
I went into the washroom (as I needed to go) and I noticed that it was so dumpy that the door wouldn't even lock properly. Not to mention there was rust on various metal parts and the sink leaked! After leaving the washroom, I remembered that the sign said "Games Movies Shooting". Shooting? I didn't see any pool tables or shooting range in there. Unless they meant shooting video games maybe? That seemed like the most logical explanation. Or do you know if at any time in history there was a shooting range or pool tables there? -
Review from Christine R.
New Westminster, BC
9/28/2009
Granville Street is looking bright and new these days - walking down the street yesterday, seeing all the construction fences removed and all the shiny shops and restaurants that have popped up, I hardly recognized the place. Movieland, however, is a pleasant den of sketch.
As Cameron said, it's good for nostalgia. The games are old - but they let us see how far we've come. They have a few classic pinball machines - unfortunately, they're really crammed close together and half of them were out of order, and the one I did want to play was blocked by a guy watching his buddy play. I played the old-fashioned shooting games (the deer hunting one, while not for the squeamish city kids, is at least good value for the 50c) and the motorcycle/car racing games.
We stayed away from the back area, though must admit it's a curiousity. Bring your quarters. -
Review from Cameron M.
Toronto, ON
11/12/2008
I'll preface this by saying: This gets four stars for only the nostalgic and adventurous. If you are into the latest games or a safe-feeling clean place then go no further. Movieland is as sketchy and odd as it gets and no game seems to have been produced past the turn of the century.
I love Movieland simply for its weird factor. I was taken here for the first time on a date when a girl insisted on showing me the strange pornographic video games in the back. Yes, there is live video strip poker. It is an 18+ arcade for very good and very creepy reasons. It's also the home to 8mm peepshows which are almost quaint in their old timey nature, if not for the graphic graphic sex they depict.
But beyond the weirdness that is the back area, Movieland has one of the best working collections of arcade games from the late 80s and 90s. Everything from a Jurassic Park shooter booth to most of the old-gen fighting games. If you're looking for a quick trip to nostalgia look no further. It also has late-90s arcade prices so don't worry about stocking up on loonies here. Unless , of course, you really want to keep that peep show going.
