Our news
With the latest news, blog posts, videos and interviews, our news channel is the best place to keep up to date with all things UPP
Our December 2023 programme is now on sale!
A gothic ghost story, deadpan comedy from Finland, an epic historical drama, and a season of classics celebrating the work of two of Britain’s greatest ever filmmakers. Our December programme is now on sale! You can download a PDF version by ... Read more
The Wicker Man: A Modern Idyll With Ancient Roots
The darkest days of December might not be the obvious time to visit a mythical Scottish island called Summerisle but any chance to see the 1973 cult British folk horror masterpiece The Wicker Man up on the big screen is not an opportunity to be ... Read more
Lars But Not Least
Before he fell from grace so spectacularly, there was a time when Danish auteur and enfant terrible Lars Von Trier was turning out some of the most exciting movies to ever be made in Europe and now, guess what? He’s back (time tends to be a ... Read more
Demme & Byrne Makes Total Sense
Although he won an Oscar for his 1991 hit The Silence of the Lambs, American director Jonathan Demme, who died at 73 in 2017, never quite made the movie brat list, even though he began his career like so many others of the American New Wave ... Read more
Serpico: Adult Entertainment
Whilst Hollywood’s second Golden Age (the 1970s) may well be rightfully derided for its politics (especially its attitude towards gender and ethnicity) it is also, arguably, a period of American cinema when the acting was about as good as it ... Read more
Vertigo: Pure Cinema
Regular readers will know that I took umbrage when the most recent BFI list of the greatest films proclaimed that Chantal Akerman’s Jeanne Dielman, 23 quai du Commerce was now “officially” the “best film” of all time. Obviously there is no such ... Read more
On the Road…again!
With its memorable tagline “A man went looking for America...and couldn’t find it anywhere,” Dennis Hopper’s 1969’s “head classic” Easy Rider has a lot to answer for and is often considered to be the defining example of what has subsequently ... Read more
They’re Here! Robots, AI and Sci-fi
Whilst society has a habit of “catching up with” Science Fiction it rarely heeds the genre’s warnings. The forthcoming short season of films chosen to reflect the latest developments in Artificial Intelligence which have been dominating the ... Read more
Soundtracks: Built to Last
The recent acclaim meted out to Hauschka (AKA Volker Bertelmann) for his Academy Award winning, incongruous but effectively doomy soundtrack to Edward Berger’s Netflix funded All Quiet on the Western Front in 2022, would suggest that there’s ... Read more
The Three Colours Trilogy and other missing pieces
As regular readers will know, I have been a Film and Media teacher for nearly 40 years and was, in fact, one of the very first students in the country to gain a Degree in the subject in the early 1980s. As you can imagine, this means that in a ... Read more
Scorsese: Cinema’s Last Man Standing
There are not many film directors who have shaped my life since the early 1970s and still continue to do so to this day. Clint Eastwood, Woody Allen, Ken Loach and Martin Scorsese are about the only ones who spring to mind, so it is an absolute ... Read more
Best International Feature Nominees – Oscars 2023
Throughout February and March, we’re showing all five films nominated for Best International Feature at this year’s Academy Awards ceremony. From Jerzy Skolimowski’s Polish drama about a lone donkey’s journey across Europe, to Belgian filmmaker ... Read more
UPP Ticket Price Update
As an independent, community-owned business we are always mindful of the need to carefully balance the requirements of the business and those of our customers. Over the past year, due to the rising costs of utilities as well as increased fees ... Read more
Outlaw Lovers on the Run: Badlands
The famous Bonnie and Clyde tagline: “They’re young. They’re in love. They kill people.” could have easily been applied to Terrence Malick’s 1973 unforgettable debut Badlands which is, like every other movie released that year, now celebrating ... Read more
Bringin’ in the 2023 Cheer
One of the longer lasting effects of the Covid lockdowns is the fact that increasing numbers of people are choosing to stay at home and watch movies on streaming “platforms” rather than go to the cinema and increasing numbers of films (to ... Read more
The UPP’s Top Ten Films of 2022
Welcome to the UPP’s Top Ten Films of the 2022! A couple of weeks ago, we asked our staff and volunteers to vote for their favourite new releases from the past twelve months. Whether you’re a fan of documentaries, romantic dramas, action-packed ... Read more
Why We Love These Christmas Classics
With the Christmas season well and truly here, it's natural for us to find solace in mince pies, mulled wine, and a feast of festive films to indulge in at the cinema! Our season of Christmas classics is now on sale – running between Saturday ... Read more
Enigmas and Ellipsis – Peter Greenaway’s The Draughtsman’s Contract
If loving going to the cinema has taught us anything (and in my case that’s probably a great deal) then one thing is obvious: movies, like all other art forms, can alter their meaning to audiences over time. Some films (like most westerns, for ... Read more
Arvo Pärt Festival Screenings at the Ultimate Picture Palace
Originally conceived to celebrate the composer’s 85th birthday in 2020, Music At Oxford are this year hosting the largest UK festival of his music to date, right here in Oxford, in collaboration with the Estonian Embassy in London, Arvo Pärt ... Read more
Pre-Code Hollywood: the Rules are Made to be Broken
Listen up, all you dirty rats and hot dames. Let us transport you back to Hollywood’s savage years, when the restrictive censorship of the Hays Code wasn’t worth the paper it was written on. Before the Hollywood censors decided to enforce the ... Read more
Gliding Across the Screen: Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining
There have been a lot of great horror movies but rarely do these films appear in lists of great films. In fact, if you don’t include Psycho or David Lynch’s Mulholland Drive, which hardly count as “horror” films anyway, then the BFI greatest ... Read more
Blood & Celluloid: Vampire Film Festival (Sat 15 Oct)
Join us on Saturday 15th October 2022, between midday and midnight, for an all-day celebration of classic vampire films. Supported by the BFI, Blood and Celluloid: Vampire Film Festival features five films exploring different themes within the ... Read more
Celebrate National Cinema Day with £3 tickets (Sat 3rd Sept)
On Saturday 3rd September, we are thrilled to participate in this year's National Cinema Day. Launched by the UK Cinema Association (UKCA), National Cinema Day unites cinemas across the country, from multiplexes to independent venues, to offer ... Read more
Cronenberg: Something Wicked This Way Comes
It is highly unlikely that many of us, emerging slightly soiled and perturbed from a double bill of Shivers and Rabid, back in 1977, would have predicted that over 40 years later, as he approached 80, Canadian film maker David Cronenberg would ... Read more
Cinema closed for maintenance (12 – 18 August)
The cinema will be closed for annual maintenance between Friday 12th and Thursday 18th August. We will be open again as usual from Friday 19th August with a brand new programme of new releases, special events, and seasons including classics by ... Read more
Job Vacancy: Cleaner (P/T Morning)
We are now accepting applications for a part-time morning Cleaner at Oxford’s oldest and only independent cinema. The successful applicant will join our small team of staff and volunteers to help maintain the functionality and cleanliness of ... Read more
Lights, Community, Action! Campaign Is A Success
Everyone who’s had a part in securing the future for The Ultimate Picture Palace – including its new community owners – can celebrate the exciting news that their beloved cinema will now be community-owned cinema and are looking forward to an ... Read more
Seven Days Left to #OwnTheUPP
Our campaign to become a community-owned cinema has entered its final week, and there’s still time for you to buy community shares and become a co-owner of the Ultimate Picture Palace. Last week was an extraordinary week as we smashed ... Read more
Richard Curtis Supports #OwnTheUPP Campaign
BAFTA Award-winning filmmaker and screenwriter Richard Curtis is the latest among the ranks of notable names, as well as more than 950 investors, to join in the campaign to secure the future of The Ultimate Picture Palace. Our campaign, ... Read more
Lights, Community, Action! Special Events
With our "Lights, Community, Action!" campaign to become community-owned cinema underway, we have partnered up with various Oxford organisations to bring you a series of special events, including classics, special-guest Q&As, and even some ... Read more
May-June 2022 Classics
With our new programme now online (full listings here), take a look at some of the classic films we’ll be showing throughout May and June 2022, including a couple of Westerns with legendary musical scores, family-friendly films for half-term, ... Read more
UPP Membership Screening Days – May 2022
Thursday 5th May & Wednesday 11th May As part of our “Lights, Community, Action!” share offer campaign to make the Ultimate Picture Palace a community-owned cinema (more information on that here: uppcinema.com/owntheupp) we wanted to ... Read more
Lights, Community, Action! Launch Weekend
Friday 29th April – Sunday 1st May Celebrate the launch of our "Lights, Community, Action!" campaign to become a community-owned and community-run cinema this weekend. From Friday 29th April, join us for drop-in sessions, free screenings, ... Read more
Love Like Blood – Cries and Whispers 50th Anniversary
The main reason why you need to catch Bergman’s fifty year old but beautifully restored (by the BFI) melodrama Cries and Whispers is to experience the genius of its Oscar winning cinematography by Sven Nykvist on the big screen. This is a ... Read more
Charity Screening of Olga in Support of Ukraine
UK cinemas have united in support of Ukraine with a series of preview charity screenings of Olga. From each ticket sold, a donation will be made to support Ukraine via the British Red Cross Disasters Emergency Committee. Read more
Oxford International Women’s Festival 2022
This year we have teamed up with The Oxford International Women’s Festival to bring you a special season of classic films written and directed by women. Read more
In the Mood for Wong Kar-Wai
With our World of Wong Kar-Wai season taking place throughout February, UPP Duty Manager & Projectionist Martina Bani writes about why we fall in love with his movies. Read more
Our Top Ten Films of 2021
We've only been able to open for six months this year, but those six months were crammed with excellent films! Check out our top ten films of 2021 as voted by our staff and volunteers. Read more
Directorial Debuts Classics Season
Join us in January for a classic season of stunning directorial debuts, from genre-defining crime-noirs to incredible visionary tales of youth by some of cinemas greatest filmmakers. Read more
Christmas Classics Season 2021
Join us throughout December for a season of festive classics to help you get in the mood for Christmas. Read more
Next Steps Towards Recovery
Just as we have taken a careful and cautious approach to building our business back up we've seen you take a similar careful approach to returning to cinemas like ours and we want to share what our next steps are. Read more
UPP Presents: Japan 2021
This November we will be taking part in the BFI’s extensive Japan 2021 Season. We are incredibly excited to be showing 12 classic films across four consecutive weekends this November, each weekend focussing on a theme celebrating the brilliance of Japanese cinema. Read more
Monday 19th July: Covid-19 Update
Thinking of each other – some changes at The Ultimate Picture Palace. As you probably know, the Government have confirmed that England will move to the final stage of easing lockdown restrictions on Mon 19 July. We wanted to let you know what ... Read more
Artist Callout: Film Poster Project
Are you a local artist/designer with a passion for cinema? If so, we want to work with you on an upcoming project linked to our re-opening in May and beyond! We are looking to commission 6 artists/graphic designers to each design an original, ... Read more
UPP Re-opening in May 2021
It’s been a while since we’ve all been able to sit inside an auditorium and lose ourselves in the magic cinema, but - fingers crossed - that day isn’t too far away. Closed since December, cinemas have been eagerly looking ahead to the date ... Read more
Dispatches from the Glasgow Film Festival and ICO Screen Days
Cinemas may still be in lockdown, but the film industry is slowly beginning to wake up again. With Monday 17th May earmarked as the day in which cinemas in the UK could possibly return, it’s good to see studios and distributors starting to ... Read more
Happy 110th Birthday Ultimate Picture Palace
The Ultimate Picture Palace opened in 1911 as the Oxford Picture Palace, the city’s first purpose-built cinema, at a time when this was a hugely exciting and popular new form of entertainment. In this blog cinema volunteer and local historian Liz Woolley writes about that fateful year in which the UPP opened it's doors to the public. Read more
What's on
Today (Friday 8th December)
15:30
Saltburn 15
2h 11m
18:15
The Eternal Daughter 12A
1h 36m
20:30
Oxford Int. Film Festival 2023 15
Tomorrow (Saturday 9th December)
15:45
18:00
Saltburn 15
2h 11m20:45
The Eternal Daughter 12A
1h 36mBecome a member
Our community of UPP members get exclusive discounts including 2 free tickets, a free drink at our cosy bar and £2 off the price of tickets.