The Ultimate Picture Palace (UPP) is Oxford’s oldest cinema and it has been community-owned since 2022. Anneliese Dodds MP and Cllr Alex Hollingsworth have thrown their weight behind the campaign to secure its future.
Last year, this Grade II listed cinema was made into an Asset of Community Value by Oxford City Council, giving it an extra layer of protection. However, without securing a longer-term lease from its landlord Oriel College, the cinema is unable to make the upgrades and repairs the historic building needs.
We need to see the college working with UPP to secure the future of this wonderful place. - Cllr Alex Hollingsworth
Cllr Alex Hollingsworth, Cabinet Member for Planning and Culture at Oxford City Council, says: “We need to see the college working with UPP to secure the future of this wonderful place, not just the bricks and mortar but its vital cultural and social focus for the whole community.”
“The Ultimate Picture Palace as both a place and a community based cinema is a vital part of Oxford’s history, and its future. It was built as a cinema, and this year is the 50th anniversary of the re-opening of the restored Penultimate Picture Palace, somewhere that so many Oxford people enjoyed as a radical and exciting place for art and for friendships.”
“Places like this aren’t just important for what they look like, they are important for how they bring different people together. That’s why the city council was delighted make the UPP an Asset of Community Value.”
I hope Oriel College will seek to work with UPP so the cinema’s future can be secured for the long term. - Anneliese Dodds
Anneliese Dodds MP says: “The Ultimate Picture Palace is historically unique, culturally groundbreaking and much loved by local people.”
“I hope Oriel College will seek to work with UPP so the cinema’s future can be secured for the long term, in its distinctive building right in the heart of East Oxford. This would be a win-win for local people – many of whom supported the cinema in its community ownership bid – and the university as well as other local institutions.”
Support the UPP:
- Sign the petition at www.change.org/p/save-the-ultimate-picture-palace
- Find out what’s on at www.uppcinema.com/whats-on
- Read more at uppcinema.com/save-the-upp
In the news
Read Cllr Susan Brown’s statement to Oxford City Council dated 23 March 2026 below. Cllr Susan Brown is the Leader of the City Labour Group:
“Members of this council will be very aware of the campaign to save the UPP and I wanted to make a statement on behalf of this council about that campaign.
The UPP is a great Oxford success story – rescued several times and a much-loved beautiful building but even more importantly, a great community resource.
Since 2022 the UPP is a community-owned independent cinema after a successful campaign in which over 1,200 local investors bought shares in The Ultimate Picture Palace Community Cinema.
The beautiful historic art deco building dates from 1911 and still has the original box office window that opens onto the street.
The UPP shows an eclectic mix of independent, mainstream, foreign language, and classic films and is unlike any other cinema in Oxford. It is community owned, has been listed as an asset of community value since 2025 and since 1994 has been Grade II listed.
I think it is worth quoting some of the wording from the Grade II listing on Historic England’s website – Historic England, the Chair of which body is Lord Neil Mendoza, Provost of Oriel College.
The facade demonstrates the simple layout adopted in early English cinemas of a central external paybox flanked by an entrance and exit door. This example with Roman Doric columns supporting frieze and segmental top fascia board. The interior with simple panelling once typical of early cinemas; these once common buildings were so primitive as to now be rare.
As someone who has been going to the UPP (then the PPP – Penultimate Picture Palace) since the 1980s, and has fond memories of all night shows prior to May Morning and showings of the Rocky Horror Picture Show amongst others, I am personally committed to the UPP staying as a community owned cinema, a view that I know will be shared by many in this chamber and across the city.
I hope that the campaign and the residents of Oxford are able to persuade Oriel College to give the UPP Community Cinema the longer lease they need in order to invest in the cinema.
This council wishes the campaign every success and hopes that the UPP has a long and thriving future in Oxford.”