History of the UPP – Free TalkU

Dream Palaces: A history of the Ultimate Picture Palace and early cinema in Oxford

When the Oxford Picture Palace (now the Ultimate Picture Palace) opened in 1911 it was Oxford’s first purpose- built ‘electric theatre’. The technology of projecting moving images on to a screen was still in its infancy, but the ‘cinematograph’ had become wildly popular and a wave of new cinemas quickly followed, offering thrilling entertainment to both Town and Gown. In a 27-year period no fewer than ten new cinemas opened.

Join local historian Liz Woolley (www.lizwoolley.co.uk) for this FREE talk and find out more about this fascinating aspect of Oxford’s history. Booking essential.

National Lottery Open Week Special Events

There are no upcoming shows in the calendar. Please check back soon!

What else is on?

Today (Friday 20th March)
Find out more

14:15

The Secret Agent 15
2h 41m | Portuguese w/ English subtitles
Carnival, communal resistance, political tensions, and a man's missing leg collide in Kleber Mendonça Filho’s slow-burning 1970s political thriller. The Oscar-nominated Wagner Moura stars in this gripping examination of Brazil’s turbulent past.

Book here

Find out more

17:45

The Testament of Ann Lee 15
2h 17m
From poverty in England to revolutionary America, Ann Lee’s spiritual vision and utopian dreams shape the lives of a newly formed religious community. Mona Fastvold’s sweeping historical epic stars Amanda Seyfried as the founder of the Shaker Movement.

Book here

Find out more

20:45

Sirāt 15
1h 54m | Spanish, French & Arabic w/ English subtitles
Oliver Laxe’s intense, hallucinatory road movie follows a father and son through Morocco as they try to find a missing relative at various sprawling, illegal raves. Winner of the Jury Prize at Cannes Film Festival 2025.

Book here


Tomorrow (Saturday 21st March)
Find out more

14:00

The Last Supper Cert-TBC
2h | Spanish w/ English subtitles
Set in 1790s Cuba, a devout plantation owner invites 12 enslaved men to Easter dinner to prevent rebellion. Restored in 2020, Tomás Gutiérrez Alea’s bold, sometimes surreal drama examines slavery as an economic system and centres Black resistance.

Book here

Find out more

16:45

The Secret Agent 15
2h 41m | Portuguese w/ English subtitles
Carnival, communal resistance, political tensions, and a man's missing leg collide in Kleber Mendonça Filho’s slow-burning 1970s political thriller. The Oscar-nominated Wagner Moura stars in this gripping examination of Brazil’s turbulent past.

Book here

Find out more

20:15

One Battle After Another 15
2h 41m
A paranoid ex-revolutionary and his daughter are forced into confrontation when an old nemesis returns. Leonardo DiCaprio stars in Paul Thomas Anderson’s (There Will Be Blood, The Master) sharp satirical adaptation of Thomas Pynchon’s ‘Vineland’.

Book here


See all upcoming films

Plan your visit

Our beautiful art deco inspired auditorium can be found just off East Oxford's Cowley Road.We are open 7 days a week. We open the cinema and box office 30 minutes before the scheduled start time of each film, and the Box Office then closes 10 minutes after the film starts. We only show a few adverts – less than most cinemas – and we only play a couple of trailers, so please don’t be late as the film itself starts very close to the advertised time!

Find out more