Autism and Learning Disabilities Friendly Cinema Screenings

There are a number of cinemas in Oxfordshire which offer autism friendly (and learning disabilities friendly) movie screenings. During the film, low lights are left on inside the auditorium and the volume of the soundtrack is reduced. Cinemagoers are free to move around, make a noise or take a break during the film if they need to.

Cinemas which offer autism-friendly screenings include:

Cineworld Didcot/Witney/Cheltenham: Cineworld host an Autism Friendly Screening at 11:00am on the 1st Sunday of every month.

What’s on at Cineworld?

ODEON Cinemas George St, Oxford and Horse Fair, Banbury : host Autism Friendly Screenings of new releases one Sunday each month at 11:30am.

What’s on at ODEON?

Vue Cinemas Pioneer Centre, Bicester and Ozone Leisure Park, Oxford: host Autism Friendly Films on the last Sunday of every month at 10:00am.

What’s on at Vue?

Phoenix Picturehouse, 57 Walton Street, Oxford OX2 6AE: Regular screenings specially for people on the autism spectrum or with other special needs and their families, friends and carers. Adults without disabilities are only admitted if they are accompanying a child or a person on the autism spectrum/with special needs. All tickets for Autism-Friendly Screenings are £3.

What’s on at Phoenix Picturehouse?

Upcoming autism friendly screenings:

Sunday 21st June 2015 11am: Home (2D), Phoenix Picturehouse, Walton Street, Oxford

Sunday 28th June 2015 10am: The SpongeBob Movie, Vue Bicester and Oxford

Sunday 28th June 2015 11:30am: The Minions (2D), ODEON Banbury and Oxford

Sunday 5th July 2015 11am: The Minions, Cineworld Didcot, Witney and Cheltenham

Sunday 26th July 2015 10am: Home, Vue Bicester and Oxford

Sunday 26th July 2015 11:30am: Inside Out (2D), ODEON Banbury and Oxford

Sunday 16th August 2015 11:30am: Pixels (2D), ODEON Banbury and Oxford

Thanks for the info on the autism -friendly screenings.It will be very helpful indeed for the summer hols.

Here are some details on the July screenings:

Animated summer blockbuster Minions, along with Inside Out, Home and Ant-Man are to be July’s Autism Friendly Films, service provider Dimensions has announced.

Minions will be shown at selected Cineworld cinemas on Sunday, July 5 at 11am and at selected Showcase cinemas on the following Sunday, starting at 10am.

Meanwhile selected ODEON cinemas will show Inside Out on Sunday, July 26 at 11.30am. For older viewers, on the following day, 10 selected ODEON cinemas will play the 12A-rated Ant-Man at 6pm. Finally, Home will be shown at selected Vue cinemas on Sunday, July 26 at 10am.

In Minions, the loveable yellow henchmen from the Despicable Me films get their own movie. From the dawn of time the Minions have served the most despicable of masters, although they are terrible at keeping them. Without a master to serve, they fall into depression. But one Minion, Kevin, has a plan, and he, alongside rebel Stuart and lovable little Bob, venture out into the world to find a new evil boss for his brethren to follow. The trio’s journey leads them to their next potential master, Scarlet Overkill, the world’s first-ever female super-villain. They travel from Antarctica to 1960s New York City, ending in London, where they must face their biggest challenge to date: saving all of Minionkind from annihilation.

Home tells the story of alien Oh, who comes to Earth when on the run from his own planet. On Earth, Oh forms a friendship with a girl named Tip, who is on a quest of her own. Through an ensuing series of adventures, Oh learns that being different and making mistakes is part of being human. And while Oh changes Tip’s planet and she changes his world, they discover the true meaning of the word home.

In Disney Pixar’s Inside Out, we get to see inside the mind of Riley, a girl who is uprooted from the Midwest of America when her father gets a job in San Francisco. Riley is guided through everyday life by her emotions – Joy, Fear, Disgust, Sadness and Anger – who live in Headquarters, the control centre in Riley’s mind. But as Riley and her emotions struggle to adjust to their new life, turmoil ensues. Although Joy, Riley’s main and most important emotion, tries to keep things positive, the emotions conflict on how best to navigate a new city, house and school.

For older viewers, Ant-Man – another big screen adaptation of a Marvel comic – sees conman Scott Lang help his mentor, Dr Hank Pym, protect the secret behind his Ant-Man suit, which gives the wearer the ability to shrink in size yet grow in strength, from a series of threats. This culminates in Pym and Lang having to pull off a heist to save the world.

Sensory friendly environment

Autism Friendly Screenings are mainstream films shown in a sensory friendly environment. Lights are on low, sound is turned down, trailers are omitted and people can bring their own food, make noise and move around the cinema as they feel comfortable.

To view a full list of participating cinemas visit www.dimensions-uk.org/autismfriendly