Queen's Film Theatre

Name

Queen's Film Theatre

Legal name

Queen's Film Theatre

Website

https://queensfilmtheatre.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1968

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Independent Cinema

NAICS

Motion Picture Theaters (except Drive-Ins) (512131)

SIC

Services-Motion Picture Theaters (7830)

akta.pro primary industry

Independent & Art-house Cinemas (MPADAKAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Screening Rooms & Cinematheques (Nonprofit/Institutional) (MPADAKAF), Alternative Content Exhibition (Live Broadcasts, Concert Films, Sports, Opera) (MPADAKAG)

Keywords

• Independent cinema
• Art house films
• World cinema
• Film exhibition
• Cultural venue

Headquarters

HQ city

Belfast

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Ticket Sales: Primary revenue stream from screening admissions across three pricing tiers: Standard (£9.80 adult), Premium (£13.00 adult), and Stage on Screen (£20.00 adult). Additional concession pricing for seniors, claimants, disabled, students, children, LUMI members, and QUB staff.
2. Membership Subscriptions: QFT Member annual membership at £50/year providing free/discounted tickets, priority booking, loyalty points, and exclusive member benefits. QFT Community is free to join with loyalty point earning on purchases. LUMI membership is free for those 26 or under with reduced ticket prices.
3. Food and Beverage: On-site bar serving alcohol and refreshments. First cinema in Belfast with fully stocked bar allowing drinks into screens. Local suppliers include Boundary Brewing and Macey's Popcorn. Loyalty points can be earned on bar purchases (excluding alcohol per licensing law).
4. Gift Cards: E-gift cards available online at £10, £20, and £50 denominations. Physical gift cards available at venue. Gift cards valid for 12 months from issue date.
5. Donations: Optional donations accepted during ticket purchase process at various amounts (£1, £2, £3, £5, £10, £20) to support QFT operations.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Queen's Film Theatre is a two-screen independent cinema in Belfast showing independent, international, foreign-language, and cult films unavailable at mainstream multiplexes. Its core offering is supplemented by a tiered membership system (QFT Community, QFT Member, LUMI), themed seasons and festivals, Stage on Screen broadcasts, family-friendly screenings, and comprehensive accessibility services.

Product overview

Queen's Film Theatre (QFT) operates as an independent cinema venue with two screens at Queen's University Belfast, offering independent, international, foreign language, and cult cinema. The core cinema product is supplemented by a tiered membership system: QFT Community (free, with loyalty points and Monday discounts), QFT Member (£50/year, with free tickets and priority booking), and LUMI (free for under-26s, with £6 tickets). Additional offerings include Baby Pictures (parent-and-baby screenings), Family Pictures (monthly family film club), Stage on Screen (NT Live broadcasts), Gift Cards, and the Adopt-a-Seat program. QFT also supports youth engagement through the LUMI Programmers initiative for ages 18-26.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• LUMI: A membership program for young people aged 26 or under at Queen's Film Theatre, offering reduced ticket prices, loyalty points, and exclusive members-only screenings.

Products and services

• QFT Cinema Two-screen independent cinema located at Queen's University Belfast showing independent, international, foreign-language, and cult cinema programming for Belfast audiences. Operates with allocated seating, three pricing tiers (Standard £9.80, Premium £13.00, Stage on Screen £20.00), and concession pricing for seniors, claimants, disabled, students, children, LUMI members, and QUB staff.
• QFT Community Membership Free membership scheme earning loyalty points on every £1 spent, £6 Monday tickets, QFT Community e-newsletter, and local restaurant discounts. Open to anyone to join.
• QFT Member Membership Paid annual membership at £50/year providing 4 free cinema tickets, £1 discount on all tickets, priority booking (24 hours advance), loyalty points, exclusive members' screenings, 40% off 12-month MUBI subscription, Members' Monday £6 tickets, birthday surprise, members' e-newsletter, and first 3 months of London Review of Books free.
• LUMI Membership Free membership for individuals aged 26 or under, offering £6 cinema tickets for any standard screening, loyalty points, exclusive members-only screenings, and email updates.
• Baby Pictures Monthly morning film screening exclusively for carers with babies aged twelve months and under, held on the second Friday of every month. Tickets £10 including hot drink and pastry.
• Family Pictures Monthly family film club held on the first Sunday of every month, featuring family-friendly films with workshops or creative activities. Priced at £6.50 per person.
• Stage on Screen Live broadcast screenings of theatrical productions including National Theatre Live performances, presenting the best of British theatre in the cinema at £20.00 adult ticket.
• QFT Gift Cards / e-Gift Cards Digital and physical gift cards available at £10, £20, and £50 denominations for cinema tickets and memberships. Physical gift cards also available at venue. Valid for 12 months from issue date.
• Adopt-a-Seat Donor support programme allowing supporters to adopt plush seats in Screen 1, with their name displayed in the cinema.
• LUMI Programmers Youth programming group for ages 18-26 that curates, runs, and hosts film events for young people at QFT, including monthly LUMI Presents screenings and special events.
• QFT Brochure Archive Digitized archive of all QFT brochures from 1968 to present, created with support from the Heritage Lottery Fund and Queen's Special Collections.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 50 years of continuous operation as independent cinema in Belfast
• +1 more outcomes

Segments7 records

Ideal customer profiles7 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Starling CollectivecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 7 July 2026Collaboration on 'QFT x Starling Collective Presents: Close-Up' screening of Abbas Kiarostami's film. Starling Collective is a community-based organisation supporting people seeking asylum and refugees. Post-screening Iranian food and refreshments available for community reflection and discussion.
• Film Hub NIminorOthersFilm Hub NI is a film development organization that QFT can refer filmmakers and film enthusiasts to for advice on film exhibition and resources.
• Northern Ireland ScreencoreOthersMajor funding and support organization for film in Northern Ireland. QFT operates with support from Northern Ireland Screen as shown in the venue's logo and acknowledgment.
• BFI (British Film Institute)coreOthersUK film body supporting cinema exhibition. QFT shows BFI-restored prints (e.g., Marilyn Monroe: The Misfits 4K restoration) and participates in BFI-supported seasons like Rip It Up.
• Queen's University BelfastcoreOthersParent institution and landlord. QFT is part of Queen's University Belfast's Culture and Arts portfolio (Head of Culture and Arts: Joan Parsons). Registered with Charity Commission for Northern Ireland NIC101788. QFT Head Office located at 21 University Square on campus.
• University of AtypicalminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership to create accessible video guides to QFT venue with subtitles, BSL, and ISL interpretation for disabled visitors.
• Boundary BrewingminorOthersLocal craft brewery supplier for QFT bar, supporting local business.
• Macey's PopcornminorOthersLocal popcorn supplier for QFT concessions.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Curzon: UK cinema chain with a strong independent/world cinema focus across multiple sites including Curzon Soho and Curzon Mayfair. Comparable as a UK art-house cinema brand with overlapping programming, though operating at larger scale and as a commercial chain.
• Picturehouse Cinemas: UK chain of independent-leaning cinemas showing arthouse, world, and mainstream films across multiple sites. Comparable as a UK cinema operator with a programming mix that overlaps with QFT's independent/world cinema focus, though at greater scale.

Direct peers

• Edinburgh Filmhouse: Independent cinema in Edinburgh operated by the Centre for the Moving Image, showing independent, world, and repertory cinema plus festivals. Comparable as a UK regional art-house cinema with similar festival programming.
• Broadway Cinema, Nottingham: Independent not-for-profit cinema in Nottingham offering independent, world, and classic film programming with bar/cafe, membership schemes, and education programs. Closely comparable as a UK regional independent art-house cinema with comparable scale and mission.
• HOME, Manchester: Independent cinema, theatre, and gallery venue in Manchester showing independent, world, and repertory cinema with multiple screens and a bar/restaurant. Comparable as a UK regional independent cinema/cultural venue with similar programming strategy.
• Watershed, Bristol: Independent cinema and cultural centre in Bristol showing independent, world, and classic cinema alongside film-related events and education. Comparable as a UK regional art-house cinema with a similar mix of programming, bar, and cultural programming.
• Tyneside Cinema, Newcastle: Historic independent cinema in Newcastle operating as a charity with multiple screens, a cafe/bar, and educational programming. Comparable as a long-standing UK regional independent art-house cinema with a charitable structure.
• The Prince Charles Cinema, London: Independent repertory cinema in London's West End showing cult, classic, and independent films with themed seasons and Q&A events. Comparable as an independent single-site cinema with repertory/event-driven programming, though London-based.
• Rio Cinema, London: Independent community cinema in Dalston, East London showing world, independent, and arthouse films with a strong community programming focus. Comparable as a community-focused independent art-house cinema with similar audience development ethos.

Regional players

• Irish Film Institute: National cultural institution for film in Ireland, operating a two-screen cinema in Dublin showing independent, world, and repertory cinema with educational programming. Comparable as a neighbouring independent cinema institution serving the island of Ireland with overlapping programming.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/QFTBelfast
• Facebookfacebook.com/queensfilmtheatre
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/queen-s-film-theatre
• Instagraminstagram.com/qftbelfast

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles14 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Queen's Film Theatre