From June 29 to July 6, 2025, the Plaza Athénée hotel reopened its Plaza Cinema Club for a fourth edition. For eight evenings, the Cour Jardin of the palace on Avenue Montaigne was transformed into an open-air cinema, where each cult film was paired with a dinner created by Jean Imbert to complement the film.
A dinner served to the rhythm of the film
The concept remains unchanged since the first edition in 2022: an open-air screening, a menu designed to complement the evening's film, and dishes served according to the plot. Guests were welcomed at 8:30 p.m. in the courtyard, before the screening began at 9:30 p.m. Each guest was provided with individual headphones, allowing them to follow the film without disturbing the hotel's tranquility.
The evening included a themed dinner, a glass of champagne, and hot drinks. The price varied depending on the night, from 290 to 340 euros per person, and booking was made through the hotel's platform.
The program for the 2025 edition
| Date | Movie | The spirit of dinner |
|---|---|---|
| Sunday, June 29 | Raiders of the Lost Ark | an exotic and adventurous dinner |
| Monday, June 30 | Sabrina | romance and Parisian elegance |
| Tuesday, July 1st | Casino Royale | caviar, vodka martinis and glamour |
| Wednesday, July 2 | The Fabulous Destiny of Amélie Poulain | a tender menu inspired by Montmartre |
| Thursday, July 3 | Asterix and Obelix: Mission Cleopatra | a Gallic banquet with oriental influences |
| Friday, July 4th | The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring | a gourmet journey through Middle-earth |
| Saturday, July 5th | The Godfather, Part 2 | a Sicilian feast |
| Sunday, July 6 | The Sense of Celebration | a tribute to the French art of hospitality |
The program blended Hollywood classics with popular French comedies. The choice is telling: the luxury hotel isn't aiming for a niche audience of cinephiles, but rather films that everyone knows well enough that a meal becomes a way to revisit them. James Bond's martini, Asterix's banquet, or the Corleone family's Sicilian table lend themselves naturally to this approach.
A summer event born in 2022
The Plaza Cinema Club was launched in June 2022, a few months after Jean Imbert took over as head chef at the Plaza Athénée. The first edition, organized in partnership with cinema operator MK2, featured five evenings: Jaws with a seafood menu, Ratatouille as a tribute to classic French cuisine, Jurassic Park for meat lovers, To Catch a Thief, and Goldfinger. The films were already shown in their original language with subtitles.
The format has since been extended to a full week and now returns every early summer. It illustrates a fundamental trend in luxury hotels: selling a once-in-a-lifetime experience rather than just another table. For a palace hotel, opening its courtyard to outside guests a few evenings a year also attracts Parisian clientele who never stay at the hotel.
And since then?
The Plaza Athénée has renewed the event for 2026, from June 29 to July 4, with six screenings: The Godfather, Skyfall, Gladiator, Les Tontons flingueurs, Scarface, and Pretty Woman, priced from €290 to €310. Dinners are prepared by the hotel's chefs, as Jean Imbert left the palace in the spring of 2026. We discuss this departure in our article " Plaza Athénée without Jean Imbert: what the end of a star collaboration reveals."
Sources: Official program of the Plaza Athénée hotel for the 2025 edition, Journal du Luxe (2022 edition), Sortir à Paris (2026 edition).
