National Cinema Weekend 2026
Saturday 5 and Sunday 6 September will see National Cinema Weekend launch in the UK and Ireland. Over 600 cinemas will participate, offering cinemagoers tickets for just £4 (UK) and €4 (Republic of Ireland) across the weekend. Led by cross-industry group Cinema First, the initiative is supported by the Film Distributors’ Association and the UK Cinema Association and their respective members.
The two-day celebration of cinema arrives as a welcome extension of National Cinema Day, which ran for three consecutive years from 2022 to 2024. Previous iterations averaged more than 1.4m admissions across each event, eclipsing pre-COVID attendance levels for the same period. The expansion to two days sees the territory initiative brought more in-line with long-established and successful European multi-day events such as France’s La Fête du Cinéma and Spain’s Fiesta del Cine.
National Cinema Weekend arrives with cinema in rude health as both admissions and box office are on course to post the best full-year results the sector has seen since 2019. Backed by a targeted promotional campaign, and with participation from both independent and circuit operators, National Cinema Weekend celebrates the magic of the big screen, highlighting the cinema as one of the most enjoyable and affordable out-of-home leisure activities.
For more details and to book tickets please go to cinemaweekender.com (UK) and cinemaweekend.ie (Republic of Ireland).
The Film Distributors’ Association (FDA) represents the interests of film distributors in the UK and Ireland. Its membership ranges from Hollywood studios to independent operators and is responsible for 99% of all films released theatrically in the territory.
