Cinema fans face losing one of the UK’s oldest independent cinemas due to lease renewal issues.
Located in east Oxford, the Ultimate Picture Palace first opened its doors in 1911 and has since been an iconic cultural venue, much loved by generations of locals and students alike.
With its 106 seats, the room cultivates a charming and nostalgic atmosphere, with a hand-operated curtain and an old-fashioned ticket window. The UPP has also hosted personalities such as Oscar-winning director Sam Mendes.
But its future is today uncertain, because its owner, Oriel College, one of the colleges of the University of Oxford, refuses to extend the lease of this Grade II listed building, a necessary condition to undertake renovation work which is nevertheless essential.
Although UPP is now owned by the local community, its long-term future depends on an extension of the lease beyond 2037 by Oriel College.
Such a decision would allow the cinema to carry out essential work and benefit from subsidies intended to improve accessibility and energy performance. Its operating costs have increased by 25% over the past four years and the hall continues to face financial difficulties.
“This lease was concluded recently, in 2022, with a new registered company. We have no intention of changing it at this early stage of the tenancy… We remain in dialogue with the new managers to see how we can ensure that the cinema remains open to the general public,” said an Oriel College spokesperson, quoted by The Guardian.
Oriel College also owns several other properties in east Oxford and has plans for expansion.
The situation illustrates the worsening of the phenomenon of “studentification”, which reduces the independent third places frequented by residents and endangers many popular and historical sites.
Last March, a petition and campaign to save the UPP was launched, collecting 22,000 signatures.
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