Merlin Cinemas’ Astoria first opened in 1938. It is the single surviving purpose-built Odeon in Scotland. Designed by Thomas Braddock, its iconic landmark tower and magnificent design make an important contribution to the streetscape of Ayr and Burns Statue Square.

This beautiful art deco 4-screen cinema is Merlin Cinemas’ second site in Scotland, the first being Caithness, Thurso and is a much-loved local landmark for the community.

Merlin is an established cinema brand, having started almost 35 years ago with a single-screen venue in Penzance, and now operating over 18 cinemas across the country, with their most recent opening being the Plaza Cinema, Weston-super-Mare, which opened in December 2023. Merlin has repurposed several heritage buildings so that all communities can continue to enjoy cinema experiences at affordable prices.

Standard tickets are priced from £5, and there are further savings to be made with Merlin’s Movie Magic card, offering Big Screen entertainment at the Small Price of just £4 all year round, providing some of the best value cinema-going in the country.

The Astoria shows a range of hotly anticipated new release films and the regular programme features special revival screenings of cinema favourites with Merlin’s Big + Mini Movie Deal seasons and event cinema productions like opera, ballet, theatre and music concerts. The Astoria will host regular Parent and Baby, relaxed (autism-friendly) and subtitled screenings for the hard of hearing as well as Merlin’s popular Silver Screen strand that includes a hot drink and biscuits included in the ticket price.