Home Cinema
Manchester has a lot to offer when it comes to being a film fan, whether that’s a repertoire of cinemas or the access to several film festivals across the year. If you’re new to the city and want to live your best life as a film nerd in Manchester, then here’s your guide to the essentials of our local film scene.
ODEON Great Northern
Upon entering the building that you thought was ODEON Great Northern you might find yourself believing maybe the Backrooms are real. But once you get the escalator up from the the building’s eerie ground floor, you reach probably the most convenient cinema in Manchester price-wise, with a surprisingly retro vibe to boot. Ever since the cinema was converted from an AMC into an ODEON, it’s left a lot of bare space where the old main entrance used to be (and some confusion on Google Maps), but is easily accessible through the side entrance if you head towards Deansgate Mews.
It’s located in the heart of Deansgate, and is also one of the primary venues where the Manchester Film Festival holds most of its screenings! This cinema is perfect if you’re looking to save a bit of money – tickets begin at £6.50 each and are even cheaper on Mondays. ODEON also offer a LIMITLESS+ membership for the more frequent cinemagoers, which starts at £15.99 a month with a student discount.
HOME
Whether it’s the comfort of luxury red velvet seats or the vintage popcorn stands right outside the theatre, seeing a film at Manchester’s HOME adds to the cinematic experience in the best way. I can’t deny that HOME is a personal favourite of mine: it’s a quality venue that screens both independent films and mainstream releases.
It’s only a short walk from Oxford Road and very well-priced, offering a student discount on cinema tickets, and even a HOME Film Pass for £18 a month. There’s always a warmth and a vibrancy to the cinema as it’s part of larger arts centre, where you can check out some current theatre shows or art exhibitions in town. I would recommend looking out for the monthly film seasons they hold, which often pay homage to a specific genre or director. Throughout September, HOME have showings from French filmmaker Claude Chabrol‘s ouvre.
Cultplex
If you’re a burgeoning cinema geek who spends half of each day doomscrolling Letterboxd, then visiting Cultplex should be at the top of your list. It’s a small independent cinema that screens hand-selected cult classics alongside hosting events, catering to those passionate about film and (occasionally) TV. The programme at Cultplex is curated by a small team of film lovers who are dedicated to replicating the cinematic experience while fostering a sense of community. This past summer has seen showings of gems like The Favourite, Dazed and Confused and a 10th anniversary screening of Moonlight to open up Manchester’s SCENE fest. Located in Cheetham Hill, Cultplex is slightly further away from campus but easily reachable on the 41 bus route and definitely worth visiting if you love all things film, or if they’re bringing a favourite back to the big screen.
Vue Printworks
In the midst of a busier area of the city, you can also find a Vue within Manchester’s Printworks. It’s an immense cinema with 20 screens and home to the second-largest IMAX screen in Europe. It was also one out of only three cinemas in the UK showing The Odyssey in its full IMAX 70mm glory. Printworks audiences can most likely look forward to upcoming screenings of Dune: Part Three in IMAX 70mm this December as well. This may be your primary cinema of choice if you’re living within the heart of Manchester, or just chasing the luxury of recliner seats and a towering IMAX screen.
Everyman St John’s
If you’re one to indulge in the luxury side of life, you should absolutely consider visiting the Everyman in Deansgate. Tickets are pricier than usual (although you can get student concessions), but it’s worth it for the ‘premium experience’: you’ll be given your own sofa and can order food and drink directly to your seat. The Everyman is certainly something of a novelty, but it can be greatly relaxing if you prefer that subdued and deluxe vibe.
University of Manchester
If you’re perhaps looking to enjoy the cinema from the comfort of campus, or even your own dorm, then being a UoM student can get you access to a bunch of hidden gems. One student perk is that you can use your University of Manchester login to access different streaming services for free, such as BFI Player or Kanopy. I recently watched The Ballad of Wallis Island via Kanopy and have more films on my watchlist. If you’re more into physical media, then I’d also recommend checking out the main library, which has a collection of DVD’s and some Blu-Rays available to borrow.
Throughout the year, UoM’s own film societies also arrange weekly screenings that are held on campus for any students to enjoy, usually with drinks and socials afterwards. These are usually organised by the UoM Film Society, Queer Film Society or BFI Player Film Club and can be a great way to meet other students interested in cinema – click the hyperlinks to find out more.
Film Festivals
Every year, Manchester is home to some of the most exciting film festivals in the UK. Coming up in November is the Manchester Animation Festival: a diverse celebration of animated stories across international releases, shorts, student films and features. It’s the UK’s largest animation festival and involves screenings alongside exclusive Q&As, panels and workshops. As well as an uplifting celebration of creativity, the festival can be a great opportunity to preview some wonderful films before their mainstream release – last year they screened Little Amélie or the Character of Rain which went on to be Oscar-nominated!
March of next year also brings around the Manchester Film Festival, which is not one to miss out on. The festival welcomes a variety of high-quality and moving independent cinema and features an inspiring assembly of filmmakers and creatives. 2026’s festival was opened by actor Kit Harrington and screened several exciting debuts, features, short films, student projects and animated releases. During the 2026 programme, audiences could attend screenings of Samuel Abraham’s Lady as well as Charli XCX’s acting debut in Erupcja, and I’m certain the 2027 run will also be a line up to look forward to.
For any horror fans, you can catch showcases of the latest thrilling movies at Grimmfest which runs in October. Or if you’re around next summer, you can also attend a celebration of Queer film and TV at SCENE Festival in August. Highlights from the London Film Festival will also be playing at HOME in October as a partner venue of the festival.
Manchester always holds plenty of opportunities for discovering great stories on screen, especially if you’re a student here.
