Scroll down for Now Showing in Madison, September 3-10, 2026
Weekly posts include short notes on various cinematic topics, followed by the Now Showing in Madison guide to commercial theaters and alternative venues.
Is it just me, or is everyone noticing that there are impromptu film and video screenings popping up all over the place? Another informal series at a local restaurant just appeared in my social media feed. Along with the general increase in attendance in commercial theaters across this past summer, there’s something interesting going on with people choosing to get out of their house and watch films along with audiences.
Last weekend I attended Wendy Schneider’s screening of her Catfish Stephenson performance film at the Weary Traveller Free House (pictured above), and a screening of experimental films by Meggen Huess in the “Art Basement” (on Instagram, follow art_basement_madison). These types of screenings are not going to transform the film industry, but they are slowly impacting film culture.
DIY screenings are not just happening in Madison. Just yesterday the Chicago Reader published an interesting article, “Microcinemas and movie clubs are thriving in Chicago.”
“As more organizations wield the wonder of cinema, the classification of microcinema, or DIY theater, or film club, evolves and expands,” explains the article’s author, Cortlyn Kelly, “Any limitations in a space’s technical ability are outshone by the courage they exhibit in curating and hosting folks to collectively enjoy a movie.”
Stay tuned as more of these alternative screenings continue to pop up in Madison. I have to make a decision about how many to include in the weekly listings here (it would be a lot of work to try to include all of them). If there’s a regularly scheduled film series that you think Moving Image Madison readers should know about, pass along the info in the comments.
September Subscription Drive 2026
It’s my birthday today, September 3. It’s Rob Thomas’s birthday, too! Help us celebrate by subscribing to our Substack newsletters, both of which discuss films and film culture in Madison.
One-year paid subscriptions of Not That Rob Thomas are 30% off through September 15. And monthly or annual paid subscriptions of Moving Image Madison are 20% off through September 30.
If you can’t commit to a paid subscription at this time, help us spread the word by encouraging the film fans in your social circles to try a free subscription to see what they’re missing. Oh, and Happy Birthday, Rob!
Now Playing In Madison: September 3–10, 2026
Please confirm showtimes with the venues (follow venue links where provided). The commercial theaters update their weekend listings on Wednesdays. Another valuable source that posts on Wednesdays with now playing lists is The Horizon Line Madison. When possible, I will provide links to reviews by Rob Thomas at Not That Rob Thomas, who gets around to far more proper reviews than I do.
UW-Cinematheque
ROSE OF NEVADA, 4070 Vilas Hall, Thursday, September 3, 7 p.m.
Mark Jenkin, UK, 2025, 114 min.
AMERICAN JOB, 4070 Vilas Hall, Friday, September 4, 7 p.m.
Chris Smith, USA, 1996, 90 min.
SERPENT’S PATH, 4070 Vilas Hall, Saturday, September 5, 7 p.m.
Kiyoshi Kurosawa, Japan, 1998, 85 min.
Highway 18 Outdoor Theater, Jefferson, Wisconsin
Consult https://highway18.com/ for details.
Barrymore Theater
STEAL THIS STORY, PLEASE!, Barrymore Theatre, Saturday, 9/5, 7:30pm.
Documentary about Amy Goodman, host of Democracy Now! Screening presented by The Progressive and WORT-FM.
WUD Film
PROJECT HAIL MARY, Union South Marquee Theater, Friday, 9/4, 7:00 P.M.
PROJECT HAIL MARY, Union South Marquee Theater, Saturday, 9/5, 7:00 P.M.
Commercial Theaters: AMC / Flix / Palace / Point
We’re very close to a return to competency for the commercial theater listings. But there may be a few errors in the newsletter version of the list below. I will have an updated version posted to the web version by Friday morning. Thank you for your patience!
AKIRA at AMC, Sep 4—5
Katsuhiro Otomo | Japan | 1988 | 124 min | Starring Mitsuo Iwata, Nozomu Sasaki, Mami Koyama
AKIRA (4K RE-RELEASE) at Point, Sep 3—9
Katsuhiro Otomo | Japan | 2026 | 124 min | Starring Mitsuo Iwata, Nozomu Sasaki, Mami Koyama
AMOK TIME + STAR TREK III: THE SEARCH FOR SPOCK 60TH ANNIVERSARY EVENT at AMC, Sep 6
Leonard Nimoy, Joseph Pevney | USA | 2026 | 155 min | Starring William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, DeForest Kelley
ARMY OF DARKNESS at Flix, Sep 4—6
Sam Raimi | USA | 1993 | 81 min | Starring Bruce Campbell, Embeth Davidtz, Marcus Gilbert
BETHLEHEM KUDUMBA UNIT at AMC, Sep 3
Jomy K. Joseph | India | 2026 | 157 min | Starring Saiju Kurup, Johny Antony, Grace Antony
BUDDY at AMC, Point, Sep 3—8
Casper Kelly | United States of America / Israel | 2026 | 95 min | Starring Cristin Milioti, Delaney Quinn, Topher Grace
BY ANY MEANS at AMC, Palace, Point, Sep 3—9
Elegance Bratton | United States of America | 2026 | 107 min | Starring Mark Wahlberg, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Nicole Beharie
CARS at AMC, Palace, Sep 3—7
John Lasseter | USA | 2006 | 116 min | Starring Owen Wilson, Paul Newman, Bonnie Hunt
CARS (20TH ANNIVERSARY) at Point, Sep 3—9
John Lasseter | USA | 2026 | 117 min | Starring Owen Wilson, Paul Newman, Bonnie Hunt
COCOON - ONE SUMMER OF GIRLHOOD at AMC, Point, Sep 3—9
Yukimitsu Ina | Japan | 2026 | 60 min | Starring Marika Ito, Hikari Mitsushima, Yoko Hikasa
COLONY at Point, Sep 4—9
Yeon Sang-ho | South Korea | 2026 | 123 min | Starring Gianna Jun, Koo Kyo-hwan, Ji Chang-wook
COYOTE VS. ACME at AMC, Point, Sep 3—9
Dave Green | United States of America | 2026 | 103 min | Starring Will Forte, Lana Condor, John Cena
THE DOG STARS at AMC, Point, Sep 3—9
Ridley Scott | United States of America | 2026 | 119 min | Starring Jacob Elordi, Margaret Qualley, Josh Brolin
THE END OF OAK STREET at AMC, Flix, Palace, Point, Sep 3—9
David Robert Mitchell | USA | 2026 | 112 min | Starring Anne Hathaway, Ewan McGregor
FALL 2: DEADPOINT at Palace, Point, Sep 3—9
Michael Spierig & Peter Spierig | United Kingdom / United States of America | 2026 | 98 min | Starring Harriet Slater, Arsema Thomas, Tom Brittney
FINDING EMILY at AMC, Point, Sep 3—8
Alicia MacDonald | United Kingdom / United States of America | 2026 | 111 min | Starring Spike Fearn, Angourie Rice, Cora Kirk
HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS: PART 2 at Point, Sep 3
David Yates | United Kingdom / United States of America | 2011 | 130 min | Starring Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, Rupert Grint
HARRY POTTER AND THE SORCERER’S STONE at Flix, Sep 3—4
Chris Columbus | United Kingdom, United States | 2001 | 152 min | Starring Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, Emma Watson
HOPE at Point, Sep 9
Na Hong-jin | South Korea | 2026 | 157 min | Starring Hwang Jung-min, Zo In-sung, Hoyeon
THE HUNGER GAMES at AMC, Flix, Point, Sep 3
Gary Ross | United States of America | 2012 | 142 min | Starring Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Liam Hemsworth
THE HUNGER GAMES: CATCHING FIRE at Point, Sep 4
Francis Lawrence | United States of America | 2013 | 146 min | Starring Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Liam Hemsworth
THE HUNGER GAMES: MOCKINGJAY - PART 1 at Point, Sep 5
Francis Lawrence | United States of America | 2014 | 123 min | Starring Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Liam Hemsworth
THE HUNGER GAMES: MOCKINGJAY - PART 2 at Flix, Point, Sep 5—7
Francis Lawrence | Germany / United States of America | 2015 | 137 min | Starring Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Liam Hemsworth
THE HUNGER GAMES: THE BALLAD OF SONGBIRDS & SNAKES at Flix, Point, Sep 7
Francis Lawrence | Germany / United States of America | 2023 | 157 min | Starring Tom Blyth, Rachel Zegler, Peter Dinklage
IDIOTS at AMC, Sep 3
INSIDIOUS: OUT OF THE FURTHER at AMC, Flix, Palace, Point, Sep 3—9
Jeremy Slater | USA | 2026 | 108 min | Starring Patrick Wilson, Rose Byrne, Ty Simpkins
IT ENDS WITH US at AMC, Palace, Point, Sep 3—9
Justin Baldoni | USA | 2024 | 130 min | Starring Blake Lively, Justin Baldoni, Brandon Sklenar
THE MAGIC FARAWAY TREE at AMC, Point, Sep 3
Ben Gregor | UK / USA | 2026 | 108 min | Starring Andrew Garfield, Claire Foy, Nicola Coughlan
MST3K: THE RIFFTRAX EXPERIMENTS - STING OF DEATH at Point, Sep 9
Michael J. Nelson | United States of America | 2026 | 100 min | Starring Michael J. Nelson, Kevin Murphy, Bill Corbett
MUTINY at AMC, Flix, Palace, Point, Sep 3
Jean-François Richet | UK / USA | 2026 | 109 min | Starring Jason Statham, Annabelle Wallis, Jason Flemyng
NACHO LIBRE at Flix, Sep 6, Sep 8
Jared Hess | USA | 2006 | 92 min | Starring Jack Black, Ana de la Reguera, Héctor Jiménez
NEVER STOP CHASING at AMC, Sep 3
Reed Timmer | USA | 2026 | 98 min | Starring Reed Timmer, Dominator Storm Chasers Crew
THE ODYSSEY at AMC, Flix, Palace, Point, Sep 3—9
Christopher Nolan | USA / UK | 2026 | 154 min | Starring Alexander Skarsgård, Charlize Theron, Dev Patel
ONSLAUGHT at AMC, Sep 3—4
Adam Wingard | USA | 2026 | 92 min | Starring Adria Arjona, Dan Stevens, Drew Starkey
PAW PATROL: THE DINO MOVIE at AMC, Flix, Palace, Point, Sep 3—9
Cal Brunker | USA / Canada | 2026 | 88 min | Starring Mckenna Grace, Taraji P. Henson, Christian Convery
SPIDER-MAN: BRAND NEW DAY at AMC, Flix, Palace, Point, Sep 3—9
Destin Daniel Cretton | USA | 2026 | 138 min | Starring Tom Holland, Zendaya, Jacob Batalon
STAR TREK II: THE WRATH OF KHAN at Flix, Point, Sep 3, Sep 5
Nicholas Meyer | United States of America | 1982 | 113 min | Starring William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, Ricardo Montalban
STAR TREK III: THE SEARCH FOR SPOCK at Point, Sep 6
Leonard Nimoy | United States of America | 1984 | 105 min | Starring William Shatner, DeForest Kelley, James Doohan
STAR TREK IV: THE VOYAGE HOME at Point, Sep 7
Leonard Nimoy | United States of America | 1986 | 118 min | Starring William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, DeForest Kelley
STAR TREK: THE MOTION PICTURE at Point, Sep 4
Robert Wise | United States of America | 1979 | 131 min | Starring William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, DeForest Kelley
THE SUN NEVER SETS at Point, Sep 3—8
Joe Swanberg | United States of America | 2026 | 102 min | Starring Dakota Fanning, Jake Johnson, Cory Michael Smith
TEENAGE SEX AND DEATH AT CAMP MIASMA
TOM AND JERRY: FORBIDDEN COMPASS at Palace, Point, Sep 3—9
Zhang Gang | China | 2025 | 99 min | Starring John Shang, Ruan Yifei, Jiang Wen
TONY at AMC, Sep 3
Matt Johnson | USA | 2026 | 114 min | Starring Dominic Sessa, Antonio Banderas
TOXIC: A FAIRY TALE FOR GROWN-UPS at AMC, Sep 3
Geetu Mohandas | India | 2026 | 150 min | Starring Yash, Nayanthara, Kiara Advani
TOY STORY 5 at AMC, Palace, Point, Sep 4—9
Andrew Stanton | USA | 2026 | 98 min | Starring Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, Joan Cusack
THE TRANSFORMERS: THE MOVIE at AMC, Sep 3
Nelson Shin | USA | 1986 | 85 min | Starring Peter Cullen, Judd Nelson, Leonard Nimoy
Have you used the Now Showing in Madison listings at least once to find something interesting to see? Have you discovered a film that you didn’t realize was playing in town? Please consider supporting these efforts directly by clicking the “Buy Me a Popcorn” button and making a modest donation on those occasions when you find this resource valuable to your moviegoing in Madison.
Looking Ahead:
Local filmmaker Michael Doyle Olson has started what he hopes to be a comprehensive, collaborative public calendar of alternative film screenings in Madison. It is still a work in progress, but check it out at www.mdo.me/film.
Side Room Cinematheque
Second Thursday of the month, and last Monday of the month.
DM @sideroomcinematic (Instagram) for screening details.
Marquee Cinema, Union South, 1308 West Dayton Street
THE UGLY LITTLE MONKEYS, Thursday, September 10, 6:00pm.
Documentary about Los Changuitos Feos de Tucson, a group of kids who grew up in the 1960s, in the working class barrios of Tucson, Arizona. Filmmakers David Valdez and Enrique Castillo will be in attendance. Free, reserve seats at Eventbrite page.
Cinesthesia at Madison Public Library Central Branch
AFTER HOURS (Martin Scorsese, 1987), Wednesday, September 16, 6:30pm
Wisconsin 48hr Film Project Premieres, Badger Theater, 255 E Main St, Stoughton
Saturday, September 26, starting at 10:00am. Details at the Wisconsin 48hr Film Project website.
Madison Film Festival
Saturday, September 26, Bartell Theatre, 113 E. Mifflin Street. Details posted soon at the Madison Film Festival website.
Auricle New Music Series, Arts + Literature Laboratory
FAUST (F.W. Murnau, Germany, 1926) with live accompaniment by ten thousand lakes, Sunday, October 11, 7:00pm at Arts + Literature Laboratory, 111 S. Livingston Street. More info and ticket link at artlitlab.org.
Experience the film’s striking visuals with experimental sound in real time. ten thousand lakes (Peter Bruhn and Steven Larsen, Minneapolis) has created an original score for F.W. Murnau's visually sumptuous Faust in celebration of its 100th anniversary.
Happy Birthday, Jim!