Movie Night, Done Right: Elevate Your Cinema Experience with Palace

Once upon a time, the cinema-going experience was synonymous with sticky carpets, jumbo soft drinks, and stale popcorn. It offered those in the throes of teenage romance the perfect way to catch the latest disposable Hollywood blockbuster, but it was hardly the stuff of a sophisticated night out. 

Fortunately, an evening at the movies has changed, because while heading to the cinema remains an evergreen date-night staple, that doesn’t mean you should take the same approach you did when you were a kid. Similarly, prestige films deserve an equally prestige cinema-going experience, so with awards season in full light, now’s the perfect time to set a more chic standard for your next visit to the movies.

By trading soft drinks for a wide selection of wines, signature cocktails and other beverages, serving up a cheese platter alongside your fresh popcorn (some things remain non-negotiable), and offering an elegantly styled environment that’s perfect for relaxing pre- and post-screening, Palace Cinemas provides the ideal setting for a date night done right. 

What’s more, Palace is the best place to watch all the soon-to-be-award-winners, and if you sign up to the Palace Cinemas Movie Club, you can enjoy discounted tickets, redeemable reward points, exclusive access to special events and offers, and more. 

Sign up here, and you’ll be ready to catch all the best films arriving at Palace Cinemas throughout 2026, and then read on to discover our curated selection of the forthcoming releases that we believe are truly unmissable. With Palace, make this the year you elevate your cinematic excursions and get ready to fall back in love with a night out at the movies. 

Marty Supreme

The much-hyped new effort from acclaimed writer and director Josh Safdie (Uncut Gems, Good Time), Marty Supreme is an unmissable tale of one man’s obsession, starring Timothée Chalamet, Gwyneth Paltrow, Odessa A’zion, and Tyler The Creator, and it’s now showing at a Palace Cinema near you. 

If you’re familiar with Safdie’s previous work, you know you can expect an intense and darkly funny character-driven piece. Plus, it should come as no surprise that Chalamet has already picked up ‘Best Actor’ gongs from the Critics’ Choice Awards and the Golden Globes. The smart money says he’ll pick up an Oscar next. 

If you want to see Chalamet’s award-winning performance in the way the filmmakers intended, be sure to catch an exclusive 70 mm season commencing at Palace’s Astor Theatre from January 21 and Palace James Street from February 19. It’s essential viewing for lovers of boundary-pushing, auteur cinema.

Release Date: 22 January 2026

Saipan

No one does drama quite like the Brits and the Irish, and Saipan demonstrates this beautifully. An ideal night out for fans of the beautiful game, this film tackles the infamous confrontation between legendary Republic of Ireland football captain Roy Keane (Éanna Hardwicke) and his national team manager Mick McCarthy (Steve Coogan) during their preparations for the 2002 FIFA World Cup. 

Their rivalry transcended the game, gripping the entire sporting world, and here we have the definitive account of this most fractious of conflicts, as two men’s love for their game was surpassed by their bitter contempt for one another.

Praised by critics and led by outstanding performances from Hardwicke and Coogan, Saipan is a timely reminder that for those looking to enjoy the best of cinema, it pays to look beyond the Hollywood machine. 

Release Date: 5 February 2026

The Bride!

While we recently had a Frankenstein adaptation courtesy of Guillermo del Toro, this release looks like an entirely different proposition, packed with enough talent behind and in front of the camera to create something that’s both peculiar and rather special. 

Written and directed by Maggie Gyllenhaal, The Bride! stars Jessie Buckley as the title character (she’s been making waves with her latest role in Hamnet) alongside Christian Bale as Frankenstein’s Monster, Annette Bening as Doctor Euphronius, and a broader cast that includes Penélope Cruz, Jake Gyllenhaal, Peter Sarsgaard, and more. 

The film follows the lonely Monster as he travels to 1930s Chicago in order to ask groundbreaking scientist Euphronious to create a companion for him. Reviving a murdered young woman to be his bride sets in motion a series of events that lead to romance, police clashes, and a radical social change.

Release Date: 5 March 2026

Project Hail Mary

An old-school blockbuster that appears to have been made in the Spielbergian mould, Project Hail Mary comes from the writer of The Martian and stars Ryan Gosling as Ryland Grace, a science teacher sent to space to discover why a mysterious substance is causing our sun to die out.

There, he’s required to call on his deep knowledge and unorthodox ideas to save everything on Earth from extinction. However, he’s not alone, as an unexpected friendship blossoms between Grace and an extra-terrestrial lifeform whose mission mirrors his own. 

Offering the kind of grand spectacle that’s been sorely lacking since bland green-screen effects became a crutch for large-scale filmmaking, as well as a welcome, life-affirming tone (it’s always a nice change to see an on-screen alien presented as friend rather than foe), Project Hail Mary is the kind of uncynical big film that just doesn’t come around often enough. 

Release Date: 19 March 2026

Michael

You know his songs, but you’ve never seen them brought to life on the big screen like this. Michael captures the life and legacy of one of the greatest figures in popular culture. From Billie Jean to Man In The Mirror, Black Or White to You Rock My World, Michael Jackson’s music is one of the true universal cultural touchstones, and the trailer for this film had the Man of Many office buzzing.

Focusing on his life off-stage while simultaneously showcasing some of the most iconic performances from his early solo career (the Moonwalk’s live debut remains spine-tingling stuff), Michael stars Jackson’s own nephew, Jaafar Jackson, in the lead role. His resemblance to his uncle is truly uncanny and appears to remain so even as the singer’s look goes through the evolution with which we’re all familiar. 

Release Date: 23 April 2026

The Odyssey

Only a select few directors can market a film off the back of their name alone, but Christopher Nolan is undoubtedly among their number. The man who reinvented Batman, placed us inside Leonardo DiCaprio’s dreams, sent Matthew McConaughey into space (and beyond), and made a spy thriller where the protagonist is named, well, The Protagonist, returns with something quite different but no less compelling. 

This time around, he’s adapting Homer’s historic poem The Odyssey, with Matt Damon donning his Grecian battle armour to come up against the infamous cyclops, sirens, and Circe, the powerful sorceress. Along for the ride are Tom Holland, Anne Hathaway, Robert Pattinson, Zendaya, Charlize Theron, and Benny Safdie (brother of Josh Safdie above). 

We’ll have to wait and see whether Nolan’s fascination with time, as explored in Momento, Interstellar, Dunkirk, and Tenet remains intact, but this is certainly a big swing from the revered director. With its incredible production values and the cast and crew’s extraordinary pedigree, The Odyssey is the kind of prestige film Palace Cinemas was made for.

Release Date: 16 July 2026

The Palace Cinemas Movie Club

Make sure you don’t miss any of the year’s essential releases by signing up now to the Palace Cinemas Movie Club. As mentioned, you can enjoy discounted tickets, redeemable reward points, exclusive access to special events and offers, and more, all while enjoying the elevated moviegoing experience only Palace offers. 

That experience now comes with even greater value thanks to the new Royal Discount. Available every Monday and Tuesday across all Palace locations (excluding Astor Theatre), Movie Club members can enjoy tickets for just $10, with $12 tickets available for non-members, making it easier than ever to enjoy everything from blockbuster hits to award-winning arthouse and international films, week after week.