On January 14 , 1896 , the first public movie show was given at the Queen 's Hall to members and wives of the Royal Photographic Society . On 14 January 1896 , the first public film show was presented at the Queen 's Hall to members and wives of the Royal Photographic Society , by the maker of the Kineopticon and Fellow of the society , Birt Acres and his colleague , Arthur Melbourne-Cooper .