So you’re a film buff, new to Oxford with a desire to waste money on cinema tickets when you should be working? Well, that’s great! Here’s what Oxford has to offer.
The Odeon
Pretty much what you’d expect – it’s expensive here (£7.30 for a student ticket) but it has all the major releases so for most of your blockbuster fixes you’ll have to swallow your pride and bow to the corporate world of multi-screen cinemas. Still, seeing as it is Oxford, the cinemas are actually quite small and cute, located in the city centre. It’s also worth noting that there are two locations for the odeon, on George Street (which just has one IMAX screen) and Magdalen Street. This can be confusing if you book a film and turn up at the wrong cinema – they’re a little way apart, so if you haven’t left plenty of time it can lead to a mad dash to the other branch. Check your booking before you leave. Twice.
Vue Cinemas
This multiplex (called the ‘Ozone) is a little further out, but it’s only a 30-40 minute bus ride and it’s much bigger than the Odeon, meaning a greater range of releases. Still, you’re not making a money saving here (student tickets are £7.65), and at the end of the day you could just get your mainstream experience with the Odeon.
Cineworld Cinemas
Again, pretty much what you’d expect from a big multiplex, but this one’s further out still (although only by a few minutes). This cinema does have the advantage of being slightly cheaper than the Odeon or Vue (at £6.20 for a student) so if you can get a cheap bus ride this could be the place for the cash-conscious cinephile.
The Phoenix Picture House
This is a great little place in North Oxford just up Walton Street, which may be a little out of the way for those living in the centre of town. However, for arts cinema you can’t really do much better than this – it’s full of character, shows loads of classic films and sells beer! The price is pretty good too at £6 for a student ticket (with a booking charge online). The one glaring issue with The Phoenix is that it has a very limited range of films, falling very much on the arty side of new releases. Depending on your tastes this can be more of a problem, but generally for the big films you have to go elsewhere (with some exceptions – I saw Black Swan here, and One Day is currently showing). Still, a lovely venue, highly recommended and constantly running since 1913!
The Ultimate Picture Palace
Located on Cowley road (pretty convenient if you live out there at some point, but otherwise it’s a bit of a trek for most students), this one-screen cinema is the oldest existing picturehouse in Oxford at one hundred years old (although it spent some of this time closed). The place is rich in history and character, but with no digital projector and only one screen the releases are even more limited than at the Phoenix (although mainstream films are often played here after they’ve closed elsewhere, which can be useful). Ticket prices tend to vary a bit here too, so it’s worth checking up yourself. All in all, perhaps a place more for the extreme film buff than the casual moviegoer, but still a great venue.
Magdalen Film Society
Magdalen College is lucky enough to be privileged with a cinema screen as well as all those deer, and they’ve done something quite special with it. A few times a week they screen back-to-back films based along a particular theme, for £3 entry including free wine and juice. There’s loads of films every week, so if you want to go for something a bit more long-term it’s £10 for a term, £30 for a year or £45 for life. You can find the listings online or on a flyer that’s all over the place, and although obviously the screenings are very limited it’s a good mix of popular stuff, classics and arthouse, and a great way to educate yourself a bit in cinema. It’s uniquely Oxford, and very worth getting involved in.
To be honest you’ll probably spend most of your time in Oxford consuming films from DVDs or online, but you really can’t beat the cinema experience and there are some great examples in Oxford that you should definitely check out while you’re studying here. Maybe once the fresher’s week parties have died down though, eh?
NB: Many of these ticket prices are taken from online websites, and as such the prices on the door may be slightly cheaper.
