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.

This talk is part of Oxford Open Doors 2025, organised by The Oxford Preservation Trust. 

Sorry - you missed it!

We showed History of the UPP – Free Talk between March 17, 2025 and September 14, 2025.

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What else is on?

Tomorrow (Wednesday 19th November)
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16:00

The Mastermind 12A
Descriptive Subtitles
1h 50m
A mild-mannered man steals priceless art from a small-town museum, sparking a quiet crisis of purpose. Josh O’Connor shines in Kelly Reichardt’s wry, slow-burn heist drama set amid 1970s America’s political disillusionment and moral uncertainty.

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18:30

Boom! 12A
1h 53m
Melodramarama!
Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton ignite in Joseph Losey’s surreal Tennessee Williams adaptation. A dying heiress faces a predatory poet in a sun-drenched villa, as flamboyant camp, theatrical passion, and notorious “disaster-piece” excess collide in a uniquely decadent spectacle.

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18:30

Boom! / Polyester 15
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.

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21:00

Polyester 15
1h 26m
Melodramarama!
Francine’s suburban life collapses under cheating husbands, delinquent children, and scandalous neighbours—until a dreamy stranger promises escape. John Waters’ delirious melodrama brims with outrageous satire and comic madness in glorious Technicolor excess.

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Thursday 20th November
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14:30

Relay 15
1h 51m
A solitary fixer protecting whistleblowers is drawn into deadly danger when a biotech scientist seeks her help. Lily James and Riz Ahmed ignite David Mackenzie’s high-stakes conspiracy thriller, a razor-sharp chase through today’s landscape of secrets and surveillance.

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21:00

Bugonia 15
1h 58m
Two conspiracy-obsessed cousins kidnap a tech CEO they believe is an alien overlord. Emma Stone and Jesse Plemons star in Yorgos Lanthimos’s darkly comic, unsettling satire about paranoia, misinformation, and the terrifying absurdity of the modern age.

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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 don’t show adverts, just a couple of trailers, so don't be late as the film itself starts very close to the advertised time!

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