Once Upon a Time in a Cinema is a 2026 Irish comedy film, written and directed by David Gleeson and starring Colin Morgan, Calam Lynch, Niamh Cusack, India Mullen, Stanley Townsend and Liam O'Brien.
In Once Upon A Time In A Cinema, owner/manager (Colin Morgan) and his fellow employees are under siege from burst pipes, rodents, unruly customers, ageing equipment, inebriated projectionists, financial pressure and the unstoppable march of new technology in the form of the dreaded Video Home System (VHS) tape machine. Told in real time during the movie playing (Breathless starring Richard Gere).
It was announced in 2024 that David Gleeson was returning to his native home in Limerick, Ireland to begin shooting his next feature film âÂÂOne Night OnlyâÂÂ, a collaboration between Ireland and Belgium. It was announced that Calam Lynch would be starring in the film alongside his mother Niamh Cusack.
Filming took place in the old Royal Cinema in Limerick, which had been closed for almost three decades. The cinema was opened and re-constructed for the film. David set the film in a cinema as it reminded him of the cinema his family owned back during his youth. Over 150 extras were brought on. Nathalie Lichtenthaeler & Judy Tossell of Wide Eye Films came onboard to produce, with Primetime Emmy Award Nominee Kirk D'Amico soon joining also. Shooting took place between November 11th to December 6th. The film was co-financed by Screen Ireland.
In 2026, it was announced that American Distribution company Myriad Pictures had sold the picture to several International territories. These included A Contracorriente Films (Spain), Cinemundo (Portugal), Break Out Pictures (Ireland), Rialto Distribution (Australia) and Tanweer Productions (Greece).
Dublin International Film Festival selected Once Upon a Time in a Cinema to be the opening film at their 2026 event. The film is set to release in cinemaâÂÂs on May 1st, 2026.
Reviews for the film were mostly positive, with many critics praising the film for its witty humour and heartfelt story. Screen Daily called the film a âÂÂnostalgic 1980âÂÂs dramaâÂÂ. Film Ireland claimed the feature was â an immersive trip back in time to the days when a weekly visit, preferably Friday night, to the local cinema was de rigueurâ and that there was a âÂÂreal sense of funâ when watching the picture.