Contents
If you remember Lalka mainly as a school reading assignment, its new film adaptation offers a rather different way back into the story: a cinema seat, with no test the following morning. Maciej Kawalski’s film is now showing at selected UK cinemas, with a UK release date listed as 9 October 2026.
For Polish audiences living in Britain, it is an opportunity to see a new Polish production without travelling home. For English-speaking viewers, it is a chance to discover a major Polish literary story. Listings use “Lalka”, “Lalka (Polish)” or “Lalka (The Doll)”. Below are confirmed listings and links for checking current screenings.
A love story shaped by money and social standing
The film adapts Bolesław Prus’s novel. Its central character, wealthy merchant Stanisław Wokulski, falls in love with Izabela Łęcka, a woman from an aristocratic social world. His attachment drives his decisions and exposes him to disappointment. Without revealing the ending, this is a story about love, ambition and trying to obtain something money cannot simply buy.
The novel places commerce and financial achievement beside a society concerned with names, status and drawing-room acceptance. That makes it approachable even if you have never studied Prus. Unequal emotional investment, or the belief that financial success will open every door, can feel familiar well beyond nineteenth-century Warsaw. This is context for the source novel, rather than a review claiming to assess the finished film.
Marcin Dorociński plays Wokulski and Kamila Urzędowska plays Izabela. Marek Kondrat appears as Ignacy Rzecki. Maciej Kawalski directs this adaptation, which opened in Poland on 30 September 2026. The educational project accompanying the film provides production information.
Where can you watch Lalka in the UK?
At the research date of 12 October 2026, the film appears in the listings below. These are useful starting points, rather than every participating cinema in Britain. Select your date on the cinema website: a film listing does not mean daily screenings or guaranteed remaining seats.
- Showcase — Lalka (The Doll) — film page with cinema selection and screening dates.
- Vue Thanet (Westwood Cross) — venue listings and booking.
- Vue Halifax — venue listings and booking.
- Cineworld Edinburgh — venue listings and booking.
- Cineworld Yeovil — venue listings and booking.
- Savoy Nottingham — venue listings and booking.
During research, Savoy Nottingham listed screenings on 12 and 15 October at 8pm. These are listings checked on that date, rather than a guarantee: confirm the time, date and available seats in the booking system before travelling. Other venues may have a different schedule.
If your town is not listed, start with the Showcase film page or search for “Lalka” on Vue’s website. UKFilmy also gathers information about Polish films at British cinemas. Use the cinema operator’s own booking system for the final confirmation and purchase.
Language, subtitles and running time
Savoy Nottingham describes its screenings as Polish-language with English subtitles. That is useful if you want to bring a partner or friend who does not speak Polish. Check the specific screening at other venues instead of assuming every showing uses identical language and subtitle arrangements.
Allow a substantial evening. The accompanying project gives a running time of two hours and 45 minutes, while UK listings differ, ranging from around two hours and 42 minutes to two hours and 46 minutes. Treat it as a film lasting roughly two and three-quarter hours, then check the expected finish time in your booking. Adverts and trailers can extend the visit.
Check the screening’s age certificate, any accessible seating you need and the venue’s conditions before paying. Prices depend on the cinema, date and ticket type, so there is no single meaningful “UK Lalka ticket price” here. If you choose a late screening or travel to another town, plan the journey home at the same time.
An evening with Polish cinema
You do not need to reread the entire novel before booking. The starting point is a man with money and opportunities who cannot use them to solve the problem that matters most to him. The rest is something to discover during the film and discuss afterwards.
For more ideas for an evening out or a weekend trip, visit our Leisure section. For Lalka itself, begin with listings near home: selected Polish releases may have only a handful of screenings, so it pays to check before the most convenient dates pass.
The featured image is an AI-generated illustration inspired by cinema and nineteenth-century Warsaw. It is not a film still or an official poster.
Sources and screening information
Information checked on 12 October 2026. Screening dates, seat availability, language arrangements and prices can change. Cinema links are provided above; check the selected showing before booking.
