MK2 Parnasse, Independent movie theater in Montparnasse, France

MK2 Parnasse is an art-et-essai cinema of the MK2 group at 11, rue Jules-Chaplain, in the Notre-Dame-des-Champs quarter of Paris's 6th arrondissement. It has three screening rooms of 160, 80 and 50 seats, arranged after MK2 took over the venue in 1976. Stencilled on some of its walls are quotations from Mao Zedong and the names of filmmakers.

The cinema opened on 17 October 1930 as the Studio de Paris, a 300-seat hall with a balcony. It switched to sound in 1931 and was renamed Studio-Parnasse. From 1947 it held screenings followed by discussions, with debates organised by Jean-Louis Chéray. MK2 took it over in 1976, split it into three rooms of 160, 80 and 50 seats, and called it 14 Juillet-Parnasse; it became MK2 Parnasse in 1998.

The theater regularly programs documentaries and films from around the world, and hosts audience conversations with filmmakers and actors who share their work. This approach turns movie-watching into a chance for dialogue and deeper engagement with cinema.

The three screening rooms are accessible from rue Jules Chaplain and clearly marked for easy navigation. Arriving a few minutes early helps you locate the correct theater and settle in comfortably before the film begins.

The building at 11 rue Jules-Chaplain also housed jazz club L'Aéroport in its cellars, later the Jacky Western Saloon, which became Le Boucanier, a punk venue run by Lydie Bastien, nicknamed "La Diabolique de Caluire".