When taking your child or a person you care for to the cinema, some preparation beforehand can lead to a smoother and more enjoyable visit. These are some suggestions to try. 
 

When booking your ticket 

• When booking, mention you are bringing someone who is autistic. If your child will need time away from the film during the screening, ask for an aisle seat. 
• If your child will need to use a phone or tablet to play games on to help them focus or to keep calm, ask the cinema staff before booking tickets to see if this is allowed. 
• Ask if there is a quiet area at the cinema that you can use if necessary. 
• Find out if you can use your child’s CEA card to get your ticket for free. 
   

Before the visit 

• If you haven’t been to this particular cinema before, check the cinema’s website to see if there is anything that could help your child to prepare. There may be photographs of the building or a map of the screens.
   

On the day 

• Remember to bring your child’s sensory aids such as ear defenders, or quiet fiddle toys if they will need them. 
• If you have an autism awareness card, take it with you so you can tell people your child is autistic, if you need to.  
• Leave plenty of time between arriving at the cinema and the film so your child can adjust to the new environment. 
• Talk to an usher about when the noisy and quiet parts of the film are. They can give advice about when you might want to go out and about leaving or returning to the auditorium with minimal disruption to others. 
• At the end, sit in your seats until the majority of people have gone so it is quieter. 
   

Get a CEA Card 

The  CEA Card  is a national card scheme developed by the UK Cinema Association (UKCA).  

The card entitles you to one free ticket as your child’s carer when you take them to the cinema.  

The CEA Card costs £6 a year and you can apply for one on behalf of your child if they receive Disability Living Allowance (DLA), Attendance Allowance (AA) or Personal Independence Payment (PIP). 

Around 90 per cent of UK cinemas accept the card, from the large national chains to smaller independent operators. See participating cinemas. 
 

Autism-friendly screenings 

Autism-friendly cinema screenings aim to make families feel welcome, comfortable and relaxed. 

Families are able to enjoy a film in an environment designed for people on the autism spectrum, their friends and carers. During the film, low lights are left on inside the auditorium, the volume of the film is reduced and there should not be any trailers. 

Cinema goers are free to move around, make a noise or take a break during the film if they need to. 

We work closely with many cinemas to support relaxed screening programmes. We also present Autism Friendly Awards to some cinemas to recognise their outstanding commitment to providing an accessible and inclusive environment offering regular relaxed screenings. 
 

Cinemas which hold our Autism Friendly Award 

Barbican Cinema, London 

Barbican Cinemas 2 & 3 and Cafe were awarded the Autism Friendly Award in 2020. Regular relaxed screenings, including two regular new release screenings, are held every month, as well as a monthly event cinema relaxed screening. 

Find out more  about Barbican’s relaxed screening. 

BFI, London 

BFI Southbank was awarded the Autism Friendly Award in 2019. BFI presents relaxed screenings each month for autistic people and their carers, offering a range of the latest releases. 

Find out more  about BFI’s relaxed screening. 

Glasgow Film Theatre 

Glasgow Film Theatre was the first cinema in the UK to hold the Autism Friendly Award. They received the award in recognition of Access Film Club and Take 2 Access Film Club, which are monthly screenings for autistic adults and children respectively. 

Find out more about Glasgow Film Theatre’s relaxed screenings. 
 

Cinemas which hold autism-friendly screenings 

Listed below are some organisations that our charity is working with, but others such as Odeon, Vue, Cineworld and Showcase also hold regular autism-friendly screenings. 

Picturehouse 

Picturehouse runs regular autism-friendly screenings at cinemas across the country. These take place on one Saturday or Sunday a month when they show a popular family film. 

Empire Cinemas 

Empire Cinemas have autism-friendly screenings. Select a local cinema,  then click on ‘Assisted Screenings’. The autism-friendly films will appear on that list when they are on offer. 

If your local cinema is not offering an autism-friendly screening, please speak to the local manager.