UW-Cinematheque summer schedule canceled (a major bummer)
Bartell Film Series returns this weekend, and MMoCA Rooftop Cinema begins July 30
Scroll down for Now Showing in Madison, July 3–July 8, 2026
Weekly posts include short notes on various cinematic topics, followed by the Now Showing in Madison guide to commercial theaters and alternative venues.
I know how you feel. It has been a tough week, with the cancellation of the remainder of the UW-Cinematheque summer series. The cooling pipe breakdown on the UW-Madison campus has been a complete disaster, not only for Vilas Hall but for several other buildings. I won’t go into the details here, but you can read Chali Pittman’s Isthmus coverage of the ongoing nighmare, including a quote from the Cinematheque’s Ben Riser.
But keep your chin up! There are still interesting options this week, including Bloody Nose Empty Pockets (pictured above, trailer below) presented by Four Star Video at the Bartell Theater on Sunday, July 5, 5:00pm
Somehow I missed tonight’s screening of the Oscar-winning documentary Mr. Nobody Against Putin in my last few weekly listings! It screens tonight at the Bartell Theater, 7:30pm. Other films at the Bartell this weekend include Jaws (Friday, July 3, 6:30pm) and the sing-along version of Grease (with on-screen lyrics, Sunday, July 5, 2:00pm)
MMoCA Rooftop Cinema: Schedule now posted
I’ll have a lot more to say about the newly posted Rooftop Cinema schedule in the next few days, between now and the first screening on Thursday, July 30. But for now, here’s the lineup with some brief descriptions. You can also find the schedule at the MMoCA website.
Thursday, July 30, 9:00pm
GIRL INTERNET SHOW: A KATI KELLI MIXTAPE | Kati Kelli | USA | 2013-2019 | 80 minutes
Underground web personality Kati Kelli produced an avant-garde YouTube series, Girl Internet Show, from 2013 until her death from asthma in 2019. This compilation, assembled by Kelli’s widower Jordan Wippel and filmmaker Jane Schoenbrun (I Saw the TV Glow), presents a raw and unfiltered look at Kelli’s absurd, surreal sketches and her unsettling direct-address persona, including her first and final short film, Total Body Removal Surgery.
Thursday, August 6, 8:30pm
AMERICA: EVERYTHING YOU’VE EVER DREAMED OF | USA | Tony Ganz and Rhody Streeter | 1971-1973 | 80 minutes
The short documentaries of Tony Ganz and Rhody Streeter are as funny as they are unsettling, as affectionate as they are trenchant, and made with a refreshing concision that belies the depth of their cultural and social observations. Their films have been newly restored and are poised to regain their rightful place as some of the most eccentric and hilarious examples of American independent documentary filmmaking.
Thursday, August 13, 8:30pm
GANGSTERISM | Isaiah Medina | Canada | 2025 | 84 minutes
As he mulls over the budget for his new film, director-gangster Clem (Mark Bacolcol) sends his artist cronies after an old comrade rumoured to be a leaker. Selected as the Closing Night Feature at the 2026 Onion City Experimental Film Festival (Chicago).
Thursday, August 20, 8:15pm
KIN DZA-DZA! | Georgiy Daneliya | Soviet Union | 1986 | 135 minutes
Imagine Andrei Tarkovsky (Solaris) directing Douglas Adams’ The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy and you’ll come close to the existential weirdness of the wonderfully loopy Soviet-era sci-fi comedy Kin-Dza-Dza! It’s a deadpan, absurdist mixture of Kurt Vonnegut, Monty Python, Samuel Beckett and Alejandro Jodorowsky’s never-made Dune, as well as a savage satire of bureaucratic idiocy and dysfunction no matter what political system you’re living under—or what planet you’re living on.
Halfway through 2026: Where have we been, where are we going?
I’m going to post a few mid-year surveys of Madison’s theatrical film market over the next few days, including:
A list of all 400 (or so) films that played in town between January and June 2026, and how many weeks they played. This first post (probably tomorrow) will more or less just be the list, with subsequent posts providing some analysis of the data.
A look at the many, many Best of 2026 (so far) lists, in relation to Madison’s theatrical market. (To get you started, here’s Rob Thomas’s list.)
And a closer look at the international films that have played in Madison so far in 2026. If you’re a regular reader here, you probably don’t need to guess the top countries of origin for international films that play in Madison (clue: they’re not in Europe).
Now Playing In Madison: July 3–July 8, 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.
Comments here are not reviews of the films, they are usually a response to the trailer, a summary of the buzz I have heard, or just snark. They are not always particularly accurate, according to reader feedback. I add trailers to new films of interest that you might not know about (American indies, international features, etc.).
Bartell Theater
JAWS, Friday, July 3, 6:30pm
FLASH GORDON (1980), Friday, July 3, 9:00pm
GREASE (Sing Along Version), Sunday, June 5, 2:00pm
BLOODY NOSE, EMPTY POCKETS, Sunday, June 5, 5:00pm
A 2020 docu-fiction hybrid film from directors Bill and Turner Ross, which examines the last day of operations for a dive bar in Las Vegas. This screening will be presented by Four Star Video Rental.
Highway 18 Outdoor Theater, Jefferson, Wisconsin
WUD Film Lakeside Cinema
FINDING NEMO (2003), The Terrace @ Memorial Union, Monday, 7/6, 9:00 P.M.
Lakeside Cinema, Monday nights at the Memorial Union Terrace returns with monthly themes: “Sports” (June), “Under the Lake,” (July), “Back to the 80’s” (August).
Side Room Cinematheque
MIRANDA JULY TRIPLE FEATURE, Thursday, July 9, 8:00pm
DM @sideroomcinematic (Instagram) for screening details.
Commercial Theaters:
AMC Theatres
Flix Brewhouse
Marcus Theatres (Palace and Point)
This list seems short, probably because all of the screens taken up by Supergirl (for now), Toy Story 5, and Minions & Monsters.
ALPHA (2026) at AMC.
Indian Hindi-language action film, the latest installment in the YRF Spy Universe from Yash Raj Studios. So that always means a cameo by a star from another film in the series, in this case Hrithik Rashan (the striking green eyes at the end of the trailer).
BACKROOMS: EVERYTHING MUST GO EDITION W/ BONUS FOOTAGE (2026) at AMC, Flix.
If you want that little bit more of the recent box office hit, this is for you. Meanwhile, here is Rob Thomas’s review of the original release.
BLEACH: THOUSAND-YEAR BLOOD WAR - THE CALAMITY (2026) at AMC.
Anime feature, taken from the popular television series.
CITIZEN KANE 85TH ANNIVERSARY at AMC, Flix, Palace, Point.
So see it already! So that I can tell non-spoilery film-snob jokes about it. But seriously, go see it if you haven’t, or see it again if you have.
DEEP SKY (2023) at AMC.
DISCLOSURE DAY (2026) at AMC, Flix, Palace, Point.
GATTA KUSTHI 2 (2026) at AMC.
Indian Tamil-language romantic comedy / sports drama, a sequel to a 2022 film. Title roughly translates as “Tied wrestling.”
GIRLS LIKE GIRLS (2026) at AMC.
HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON (2025) at AMC.
JACKASS: BEST AND LAST (2026) at AMC, Flix, Palace, Point.
I never was a fan when Jackass was on television, but I have to admit I have enjoyed some of the films. I might go see this.
LEVITICUS (2026) at Point.
LOCKBOX (2026) at AMC.
Supernatural horror film starring Carla Gugino.
LUCKY STRIKE (2026) at AMC, Point.
World War II action drama starring Scott Eastwood. Read Rob Thomas’s review.
MASTERS OF THE UNIVERSE (2026) at AMC, Flix, Palace.
MINIONS & MONSTERS (2026) at AMC, Flix, Palace, Point.
This latest entry in the Minions franchise apparently has a lot of film buff jokes, if that sways you. Read Rob Thomas’s review.
OBSESSION (2026) at AMC, Flix, Palace, Point.
PADDINGTON (2015) at Point.
PUSS IN BOOTS: THE LAST WISH (2022) at Flix.
RAO BAHADUR (2026) at AMC.
Indian Telugu-language psychological drama starring Satyadev.
SCARY MOVIE (2026) at AMC, Palace, Point.
STAR WARS: THE MANDALORIAN AND GROGU (2026) at Palace, Point.
SUPERGIRL (2026) at AMC, Flix, Palace, Point.
Read Rob Thomas’s review.
TOY STORY 5 (2026) at AMC, Flix, Palace, Point.
TUNER (2026) at AMC.
YOUNG WASHINGTON (2026) at AMC, Flix, Palace, Point.
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.
MMoCA Cinema, Madison Museum of Contemporary Art
See Rooftop Cinema schedule discussed above. Series starts July 30.
Highway 18 Outdoor Theater, Jefferson, Wisconsin
Keen-eyed readers have noticed that the image for Supergirl is not Milly Alcock. But hey, they do what they can with these Facebook posts.
Cinesthesia at Madison Public Library Central Branch
FULL METAL JACKET (Stanley Kubrick, 1987), Wednesday July 14, 6:30pm.
Mills Folly Microcinema at Arts + Literature Laboratory
PROJECT PROJECTION, local film and video showcase, Wednesday, July 29, 7:00pm
Now taking submissions of experimental film/video art, short docs, animation, and music videos (10 minute limit). Submit your work at artlitlab.org, deadline Friday, July 17.
India. Japan (cartoons only).