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 (Thursday 27th August)

15:00

The Summer Book PG
1h 35m
Eight-year-old Sophia spends the summer with her father and grandmother on their family island in Finland's Gulf, all three grieving her mother's recent death. Directed by Charlie McDowell and starring Glenn Close, this quiet drama adapts Tove Jansson's novel.

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17:45

The Summer Book PG
1h 35m
Eight-year-old Sophia spends the summer with her father and grandmother on their family island in Finland's Gulf, all three grieving her mother's recent death. Directed by Charlie McDowell and starring Glenn Close, this quiet drama adapts Tove Jansson's novel.

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20:00

The Odyssey 15
2h 52m
Odysseus, King of Ithaca, journeys home after the Trojan War, confronting vengeful gods and monstrous trials along the way. Christopher Nolan adapts Homer's epic, starring Matt Damon as Odysseus, alongside Tom Holland, Zendaya and Robert Pattinson.

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Tomorrow (Friday 28th August)

15:30

On the Sea 15
1h 51m
In rural North Wales, mussel harvester Jack has been married to Maggie for over half his life, troubled by a son who rejects the family trade. When he meets Daniel, an itinerant deckhand, attraction creates an impossible dilemma. Directed by Helen Walsh.

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18:15

Tony 15
1h 46m
In a chaotic restaurant kitchen during the summer of 1975, Tony stumbles into a job that will shape his life. Dominic Sessa (The Holdovers) stars as chef Anthony Bourdain in this biographical drama, directed by Matt Johnson (Nirvanna the Band the Show the Movie).

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20:45

Thief 18
+ Introduction
1h 59m
Professional safecracker Frank wants one last big score before he walks away from crime for good, but the underworld won't let him go easily. Starring James Caan, Michael Mann's directorial debut is a tightly controlled, hyper-real crime thriller.

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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!