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Theater, classical music (música erudita), and opera may be largely the preserve of the affluent upper classes in Rio, but tickets remain reasonably priced by international standards and can be purchased easily from box offices. Although understanding Portuguese may prove difficult for some visitors, musicals provide a good opportunity to catch the glitzier side of Rio, and the international language of song and dance is considerably more comprehensible. Since many of the venues are in downtown or more out-of-the-way areas, use taxis to get to and from them, as the surrounding streets can feel dangerously deserted by night.
Visual-art venues and museums are also very well endowed, with privately funded cultural centers hosting a rich variety of exhibitions, specific details of which are again best sought out in the Friday editions of the Rio press.
The last remaining movie palace in historic Cinelândia—once the focal point of moviegoing activity in Rio—is one of the most well-preserved and important in the country. The luxurious theater has hosted premieres, exhibits, and events since opening in 1926, and was totally renovated in 2015. Check their program before going, as the movie theater is only open on special occasions nowadays.
The charming two-screen Estação Net Ipanema cinema is part of a lively area of small restaurants and bookstores, perfect for hanging out before or after the films (the theater itself has a coffee shop). Other locations of the Estação chain of small art-house cinemas can be found on the Ipanema beachfront (Estação Net Laura Alvim), in Flamengo (Estação Paissandu), Barra da Tijuca ( Estação Barra Point), and two in Botafogo (Estação Net Rio and Estação Botafogo).
