Question

what's the difference between movies and cinema?

Answer 1

Movies: American.

Cinema: British.

Answer 2

Movies is slang for a motion picture. Film is the medium on which motion pictures are fixed. Cinema is from the French cinématographe which comes in part from the greek kinema, meaning "movement". So cinema is really just another word meaning moving picture. In fact, there is no difference between cinema, film and movies; but:

• Cinema is a word that is derived from the French cinematograph and is used to refer to a moving picture.

• Movie is a word that is commonly used all over the world for motion pictures.

• Movie is more popular than cinema that seems to have artistic connotations.

• Word movie does not lower the artistic aspect of any film.

Also:

cinema​: especially British English a building in which films are shown SYN movie theater American English