Boom! + Polyester15

Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton spar in Joseph Losey’s flamboyant Tennessee Williams adaptation, while John Waters plunges suburbia into surreal meltdown. Glamour, camp, and chaos collide in this hysterical double bill, hosted by comedian and cabaret performer Jamie Mykaela.

6.30pm – Boom! (12A)
Directed by Joseph Losey. USA, 1968. 1h 53m.
In a lavish Mediterranean villa, the ailing heiress Flora “Sissy” Goforth (Elizabeth Taylor) withdraws from the world, tended to by her servants and nurses as she awaits death. But she isn’t the only one watching the clock. Chris Flanders (Richard Burton), a poet notorious for courting wealthy women on their deathbeds, arrives to insinuate himself into her crumbling world. Adapted from Tennessee Williams’ play, Joseph Losey’s sun-soaked melodrama was a notorious flop on release. Today, however, it endures as a flamboyant and fascinating camp “disaster-piece.”

Book tickets for Boom!

8.30pm – Intermission

9pm – Polyester (15)
Directed by John Waters. USA, 1981. 1h 26m.
Francine Fishpaw is a suburban housewife at the end of her rope. Her husband is having an affair with his secretary, her teenage daughter is pregnant, and her son may be the delinquent terrorising local women. Just when it all seems too much, Francine meets Todd Tomorrow, a swooning matinee idol and art-house cinema owner, who brings a glimmer of hope to her chaotic life. Overflowing with fetid smells (with ‘Odorama’ scratch ‘n’ sniff cards available at this screening!), menacing nuns, rowdy AA meetings, and plenty of foot-stomping, John Waters’ first studio-backed film delivers a delirious suburban melodrama.

Book tickets for Polyester

Sorry - you missed it!

We showed Boom! + Polyester between November 19, 2025 and November 19, 2025.

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What else is on?

Today (Tuesday 7th April)

17:15

Resurrection 15
£6 for Members
2h 36m | Mandarin w/ English subtitles
In a future where humanity cannot dream, one being secretly still can. When a woman discovers him she enters his dreamworld, beginning a shape-shifting journey through cinema, memory, and time in Bi Gan’s visually dazzling, mind-bending fantasy.

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20:45

The Love That Remains 15
£6 for Members
1h 49m | Icelandic w/ English subtitles
Anna and Magnús raise three children in rural Iceland, but cracks in their marriage begin to appear. Acclaimed director Hlynur Pálmason (Godland) crafts a warm and quietly humorous portrait of family life unfolding across seasons of the vast Icelandic landscape.

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Tomorrow (Wednesday 8th April)

15:30

Midwinter Break 12A
1h 30m
Long-married couple Stella and Gerry holiday in Amsterdam when buried tensions surface, forcing them to confront their past and uncertain future. Starring Lesley Manville and Ciarán Hinds, Polly Findlay’s debut adapts Bernard MacLaverty’s novel into a moving meditation on love.

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17:45

The Love That Remains 15
1h 49m | Icelandic w/ English subtitles
Anna and Magnús raise three children in rural Iceland, but cracks in their marriage begin to appear. Acclaimed director Hlynur Pálmason (Godland) crafts a warm and quietly humorous portrait of family life unfolding across seasons of the vast Icelandic landscape.

Book here

20:30

Empire Records 12A
1h 30m
Damn the man! Save The Empire! When Lucas discovers his record store will be sold to corporate chain Music Town, he gambles the day’s takings in Atlantic City to save it. This cult 1990s comedy celebrates misfits, music, and the spirit of independent record stores.

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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!