The news that Christopher Nolan’s upcoming epic “The Odyssey” would not hold “word of mouth” screenings for influencers was further fuel for the fire of a discussion that has raged in recent years. Is this marketing tactic – where commonly these more favourable, less critical reactions from influencers break on social media before the formal review embargo lifts – actually increasing awareness of these films, or is it devaluing the work of critics, whose more considered takes only get airtime after the breathless first wave of reactions.

The first reactions to “The Odyssey” flooded online after the global premiere took place in London on Monday, July 6. While there were some influencers and content creators in the mix – those who’d been invited to the premiere and/or seen advance screenings ahead of junket interviews – there were notably more mainstream critics and writers sharing first-look reactions, including Variety’s Jazz Tangcay, who called the film “a triumphant, spectacular epic” and the Guardian’s Peter Bradshaw (“a colossal origin-myth story of postwar disillusion”). When the film hits cinemas next week, the discourse around the necessity of influencer screenings will surely continue.

It’s a subject that was a central talking point at the 2026 European Film Market (EFM, 12-18 February), which took place earlier this year. Across various panels, conversations about social media marketing were notably less about “going viral” as a goal in itself, and more about whether online attention can be translated into something the industry can bank on, such as ticket sales, streaming subscriptions and durable audience habits. Across panels that ranged from TikTok’s #FilmTok showcase to a broader marketing strategy session on attention scarcity, one tension kept resurfacing: platforms can generate extraordinary cultural heat, but the path from community to cash remains uneven, difficult to measure and – too often – oversold.

That split was clearest on 13 February, when the EFM hosted “From Community to Box Office: How Fandom on TikTok Drives Impact,” an afternoon event framed around the platform’s growing role in shaping film discovery and consumption. TikTok’s Stephen Naughton positioned the platform as an entertainment destination rather than a traditional social network — “You don’t check TikTok; you watch TikTok,” he said — arguing that this mindset matters because users arrive primed to be entertained, not merely updated. He added that the company’s research suggests three-quarters of TikTok’s audience come to the app specifically to find new entertainment, and described the platform as a “24-7 virtual stage” where studios, creators and fans can meet on equal footing.

Naughton’s pitch leaned heavily on the idea that fandom on TikTok is participatory by nature: users do not just watch trailers but remix, analyse and reframe content, helping titles travel across borders in ways that can’t be replicated through classic top-down advertising. He sought to reinforce that narrative with headline figures: in 2025, an average of 6.5 million posts per day related to film and TV appeared on the platform; and, crucially, TikTok has been working with market-research company Media Control to track correlations between virality and theatrical performance. The topline result, according to Naughton: “15 of the 20 most successful theatrical releases in 2025 across Europe were TikTok viral hits,” defined as titles generating over one million related posts.

From Content to Connection
It was a confident argument — but it also underscored the central problem with social media “impact” claims: correlation and causation are easy to blur, especially when the biggest releases are already structurally advantaged through awareness, spend and broad availability. If a title is already set up to dominate the theatrical conversation, it will almost inevitably dominate the TikTok conversation too. The more interesting question is what happens beneath the top tier: can fandom meaningfully lift mid-budget and independent films into wider visibility, and can that lift be reliably engineered rather than hoped for?

TikTok’s preferred answer is “yes — if you treat creators as partners rather than megaphones.” Naughton argued that creator-led content can achieve up to 91% more engagement than traditional advertising assets, and pointed to the company’s work with Constantin Film, where collaborations across more than 15 releases generated over one billion video views. He also highlighted TikTok Spotlight, an aggregation tool that collects official and user-generated content into a central hub, suggesting that structuring fan activity — rather than merely observing it — can help campaigns sustain momentum.

Still, even within TikTok’s own framing, the emphasis was less on replacing conventional marketing than on rethinking what marketing is: less campaign-as-broadcast, more campaign-as-community management. Search behavior became part of that story. Naughton noted that one in five users searches for content within 30 seconds of opening the app, with film-related queries growing by more than 100% year-over-year — an indicator, he suggested, that audiences increasingly treat TikTok as a discovery engine for both theatrical and streaming titles, with real implications for how release campaigns are timed and structured.

Community Spirit
The panel discussion that followed broadened the conversation beyond theatricals into streamer-first dynamics, using Prime Video’s “Maxton Hall” as a case study of a #BookTok phenomenon turned screen hit. Moderated by journalist and presenter Aylin Kazi, the panel brought together Prime Video EU Head of Social Jacky Meire, TikTok creator Melo Nsuka and actress Runa Greiner. If Naughton’s presentation was an attempt to “prove” impact with numbers, the discussion that followed focused on what impact looks like in practice: community engagement as an “extra layer” of storytelling, where fans dissect scenes, debate character arcs and generate an ongoing sense of participation.

The subtext here matters for anyone marketing both theatrical and streaming titles: viewing is no longer a closed experience. Audiences often move straight from watching to TikTok, effectively recreating a shared, communal space around content — sometimes approximating the social energy of theatrical attendance, but with platform-native behaviors, such as commenting, streaming and (doom)scrolling. The talk also returned repeatedly to the idea of creators as trust brokers: recommendations from familiar voices often carry more weight than classic advertising, while behind-the-scenes access and transparency are presented as essential tools for maintaining momentum.

Yet the Maxton Hall example also highlighted a structural asymmetry: streamer launches are already “built” for rapid online conversation, with audiences able to watch immediately once curiosity is triggered. Theatrical releases, by contrast, require friction-heavy conversion: checking listings, choosing a showtime, travelling, paying. Social media can generate intent; cinemas still require action.

That friction came roaring back into focus on 19 February, at another EFM panel titled “Marketing That Works: Turning Change Into a New Advantage,” which approached the same broad subject from a more skeptical, conversion-first angle. Moderated by AC Coppens, the session featured Marina Kosten, USC Annenberg Center for the Digital Future; Adriana Trautman, marketing strategist with experience at Paramount and Prime Video; and Oliver Fegan, co-founder and CEO of usheru, a marketing technology company supporting distributors across 30 countries. Where the TikTok session argued that fandom can drive measurable impact, this panel repeatedly asked: measurable how, and at what rate?

Under the Influence
Kosten framed the current environment as a brutal attention economy — “Content is everywhere, and attention is increasingly a zero-sum game,” she said — arguing that marketers often have mere seconds to communicate not just what a film is, but where and when to see it. “If people remember the where and the when, they are much more likely to convert,” she added, stressing that basic clarity is frequently overlooked even as campaigns chase novelty.

Trautman offered a blunt corrective to influencer-era wishful thinking: “Just because you cast an influencer, it does not mean their audience will convert,” she said — and rightly so. In other words, social reach is not the same as audience action — especially when the “influencer” relationship to the title is thin, transactional or obviously paid. In a market that sometimes treats social as a magic shortcut, her point landed as a necessary deflation.

Fegan then provided the kind of statistic that complicates almost any platform-led narrative of conversion: TikTok-driven traffic, he said, converted at just 0.1% when moving from platform to ticket purchase. That figure doesn’t mean TikTok is “ineffective” — it may still be powerful at awareness, discovery and cultural signaling — but it does force a tougher reading of what social media is doing at each stage of the funnel. If the jump from scroll to sale is that small, then campaigns live or die on what happens next: retargeting, repetition, and a cross-platform system that keeps nudging the interested-but-not-yet-committed audience until the friction is overcome.

In that sense, the most actionable ideas in the “Marketing That Works” session were not about chasing virality, but about engineering follow-through. Fegan stressed retargeting as essential — those who show interest but don’t purchase must be approached multiple times, often via automated but personalized messaging. The panel also turned to first-party data, arguing that direct relationships with audiences — through tools like usheru, cinema websites, email lists and smaller communities (including Discord) — are increasingly valuable in a landscape where platform metrics can be opaque and platform algorithms can shift overnight.

The panel’s European-vs-US contrast also sharpened the conversation. In the US, mass marketing remains dominant, supported by budgets that are simply out of reach for most European distributors. Fegan noted, “In Europe, distributors might spend EUR €3,000 (USD $3,425 to market a film in France,” and argued that such constraints force European campaigns to be smarter: niche targeting, community-building and direct audience relationships rather than scale-led saturation.

There was also a recurring emphasis on habit-building. Trautman and Kosten both argued that younger audiences will still go to cinemas, but often for events that feel communal — fandom experiences that resemble concerts or social gatherings. Trautman put it plainly: “They aren’t going for cinema itself; they’re going for connection with peers and shared fandoms.” In that framing, the real competition is not other films but other forms of connection — and the strategic goal becomes making theatrical attendance feel like participation rather than consumption.

Under the Influence
So what were the key takeaways from EFM 2026 overall, on social media marketing for films? Conversations and analysis were more measured than the usual hype cycles, but some contradictions persist.

On one side, TikTok’s case is persuasive in cultural terms: it is undeniably a major arena where audiences discover, discuss and reshape film and TV narratives, and where communities can form quickly around titles, talent and moments. Naughton’s insistence that fandom is “participatory, personal and perpetual” captures something real about contemporary audience behavior, especially when conversation can outlive opening weekend.

This is a point that was emphasised by more recent FilmTok research, released in April 2026. It bears noting that the research was conducted by TikTok and Cinema United, with support from Comscore. The findings proudly claim that TikTok conversation can lead to box office staying power, beyond the opening weekend buzz. Looking at four varied (albeit high-profile) examples — “The Housemaid”, “Sinners”, “Wicked: For Good”, and “Zootopia 2” — the report studies the correlation between increased TikTok activity tied a title, and strong box office holds. Of course, correlation isn’t causation, and buzzy box office hits could be seen to be driving the conversation on social media, rather than interpreting the relationship to be working in the opposite direction, but there were also positive findings relating to increases in #FilmTok and #MovieTok posts (up 55% year on year), and TikTok surveys indicating that 47% of users polled said they’d discovered new films via the platform, and 36% said they’d purchased a ticket as a result. Is short-form social media video the new watercooler?

“This report reinforces what we know to be true: that moviegoing is a cultural experience that resonates deeply with audiences,” said Michael O’Leary, President and CEO of Cinema United. “The data shows that when films connect with communities on TikTok, people come to theatres. That is good for our members, good for Main Streets around the world, and good for the movie industry.” It’s also worth noting that — even if it can’t be said for certain that TikTok is driving users to theaters — TikTok data could be another valuable tool for exhibitors making programming decisions, by indicating which film are still dominating cultural conversations.

On the other side, the more sobering data points from the “Marketing That Works” panel underline that conversion remains the industry’s weak link — and that social media is not a substitute for fundamentals. Availability, clear messaging (“where and when”), repeat exposure, and infrastructure for retargeting and direct audience contact still do much of the heavy lifting.

That’s why some of the most interesting EFM conversations were the ones that implicitly challenged the idea of social media as a silo. Even panels not explicitly “about” social platforms — such as Europa Distribution’s session on co-operation across the film value chain — kept circling back to a marketing reality: audience work cannot be detached from production, sales, exhibition and long-term release planning. The strongest campaigns increasingly start early, build shared objectives across partners and keep communication tight — because, as Spanish distributor Eduardo Escudero put it, “In our market, we only get one shot.” In a world of compressed windows and overstretched attention, that single shot at getting audiences in seats early on in the theatrical run has to be aligned across every link in the chain.

The biggest question, then, is not whether fandom can move audiences — clearly, sometimes it can — but whether the industry is building repeatable systems around that ability. The “Minecraft initiative” type of thinking — meeting audiences inside the spaces where they already play, create and socialise — can sound visionary, and it may well work for certain IP-driven titles and youth-skewing brands. But EFM’s more grounded voices would likely insist on two tests before celebrating any such initiative: show the conversion path, and show the cost per conversion compared to alternatives. Without that, innovation risks becoming experimentation.

Finally, there is the issue of credibility. Social marketing thrives on authenticity; film marketing often defaults to polish. The gap between those two aesthetics is where a lot of campaigns fail. The EFM panels repeatedly hinted at the same underlying principle: the most effective social strategies treat audiences as collaborators rather than targets — and treat creators not as add-ons, but as culturally fluent partners who can translate a film into platform-native language. A film like “The Odyssey,” with the built in appeal of Christopher Nolan – a rare crossover filmmaker as beloved by critics and cinephiles as mainstream audiences – might be big enough to be able to skip influencer screenings. But like many Nolan success stories, it could yet prove to be an exception rather than a rule.

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That was the central argument emerging from the Cannes Docs panel “Micro Cinemas and Macro Impact: Independent Exhibition as a Social and Communal Practice,” held on 16 May at The Viewpoint, Lérins, and curated by DAE – Documentary Association of Europe. Moderated by Jeremy Chua, producer at Potocol and executive director of the Singapore International Film Festival, the session brought together Ruun Nuur, documentary programmer at the Vancouver International Film Festival and co-founder of No Evil Eye Cinema; Kira Simon-Kennedy, film producer and volunteer member of Paris’ La Clef collective; and Can Sungu, artistic director of Berlin’s SİNEMA TRANSTOPIA.

Chua opened the discussion by asking how such spaces address audiences underserved by conventional distribution, in a context where the Marché du Film itself embodies a traditional structure of buying and selling films.

For Simon-Kennedy, the answer lies in programming films that audiences are unlikely to encounter elsewhere. Speaking from the perspective of La Clef, a collective-run Paris cinema, she said the group’s work was driven by frustration with what is typically shown. “One of the guiding editorial lines, if there is one in a giant collective, is movies that aren’t shown elsewhere,” she explained. The aim was not to repeat “the same dead white guys,” but to look around the world for films that open up other histories and political memories.

Simon-Kennedy linked this directly to France’s colonial legacy and to gaps in cultural education. She cited the importance of showing films connected to independence movements, noting that works such as “The Battle of Algiers” had long histories of censorship or limited visibility in France. In that sense, programming becomes a way of “rectifying what’s not taught,” and of pushing back against what she called a “failed canon.”

Sungu argued that independent exhibition spaces can also offer distributors and producers a more meaningful route to audiences than some conventional festival strategies. While acknowledging the continued importance of premieres, he said that a small festival screening in a city may not always reach the communities a film is actually speaking to. By contrast, SİNEMA TRANSTOPIA can sometimes screen a film three or four times, bringing it into contact with communities that are ready to engage with it.

“We are putting a lot of effort into finding the right communities, to bring the right film with the communities that they are really interested in,” he said. For Sungu, the value lies not only in attendance figures, but in the “discourse space” that opens around a screening, where audiences talk, argue, reflect and even dislike a film together. “I think this belongs to the cinema and this happens also in this physical space of cinema,” he added.

Nuur described how No Evil Eye Cinema’s own model emerged almost accidentally. When the collective first toured its programme “Sequence 01: Diasporic Reckoning”, it brought a new film and filmmaker to each town. “What we didn’t know at the time is we were creating a distribution model for this programme of short films that we would take all over the place,” she recalled.

Because No Evil Eye Cinema did not initially have access to sales agents or distributors, it used the networks it did have. Nuur, whose background is in film criticism, said the organisation made a point of inviting critics, editors, writers and festival programmers to screenings so that emerging filmmakers could receive coverage and visibility. The programme mixed first-time filmmakers with more established names, and this created a responsibility to support all of them beyond the single screening event.

Futureproofing Engagement
Looking ahead, Nuur said the collective is interested in working with a streaming platform that could host grouped programmes and pay filmmakers, expanding access beyond physical venues. She also described plans for masterclasses involving contemporary film workers, from cinematographers and directors to archivists and preservationists, as a way to connect audiences more deeply with artistic practice.

Sungu also pointed to SİNEMA TRANSTOPIA’s “Cinema of Harmony” project, launched in 2022, which brings together alternative cinema practices around the world, with a focus on the Global South while also involving European partners. The initiative shares films between micro cinemas, supports subtitling and allows works to circulate across different cities and linguistic contexts. He suggested that these models may eventually create new synergies with distributors.

The conversation became more urgent when an audience member raised the lack of cinemas in low-income neighbourhoods and communities of colour, particularly in New York. Simon-Kennedy responded by connecting cultural access to wider systems of inequality. “There’s an enormous lack of access,” she underscored. “There’s an overconcentration of resources, but not just cultural – like medical, educational – in the wealthiest, whitest neighbourhoods because of racism and segregation.”

Nuur made a similar comparison, saying the lack of cinemas in Black, brown and low-income neighbourhoods resembled the existence of food deserts. “Film, art, cultural centres are a source of nourishment in a way like food is,” she said. He pointed to grassroots initiatives such as Alfreda Cinema in New York and Cinespeak in Philadelphia as examples of organisations bringing films directly to communities rather than expecting audiences to travel to institutional spaces.

For Sungu, the key was trust. He expressed scepticism about top-down outreach policies aimed at BIPOC communities, arguing that meaningful audience-building can only work through organic relationships. “I don’t believe in these kind of outreach policies that some institutions are doing,” he said. “This can only function if the organic relation is basically functioning.”

The speakers also discussed practical tools: La Clef’s printed flyers distributed in local markets, No Evil Eye Cinema’s press outreach and partnerships with institutions connected to filmmakers, and SİNEMA TRANSTOPIA’s use of Q&As, conversations and even WhatsApp groups where communities organise outside mainstream social media platforms.

Across the session, micro cinemas emerged not as marginal alternatives, but as living infrastructures: spaces where distribution, access, criticism, community and care can be rebuilt from the ground up.

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The headline numbers read as stability rather than rebound. Cinemas across the trade body’s 39 territories generated EUR €6.875 billion (USD $7.84 billion) at the box office in 2025, down 1.2% from 2024, while admissions fell harder, down 4.4% to 873.2 million tickets. Part of that gap is a pricing story: the implied average spend per admission across Europe rose from about EUR €7.62 (USD 8.69) in 2024 to roughly EUR €7.88 (USD $8.98) in 2025, an increase of just over 3%. The topline held up in part because tickets cost more, not because more of them were sold — a pattern that recurs market by market, not just in the continent-wide total.

“Although 2025 did not present as significant a step on the road to recovery… as many hoped,” wrote Phil Clapp, chief executive of the UK Cinema Association and UNIC’s outgoing president, in the report’s opening section, “there were still many positive signals” for the sector. That caveat matters: the 2023 Hollywood writers’ and actors’ strikes continued to ripple through the 2025 release calendar, contributing to an uneven schedule of U.S. titles, while several countries lacked the breakout domestic hits that lifted attendance the year before. Europe did not move as one market in 2025 — it rarely does, but this year made the differences unusually visible.

A Patchwork of National Results
Box office grew year over year in 17 markets, including Austria, Denmark, Germany, Greece, Poland, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, the United Kingdom and Ukraine; France, Spain, Portugal, Sweden and Belgium, among others, declined.

The UK was the cleanest growth story among major Western markets: box office reached GBP £990.5 million (USD $1.36 billion), up 1.2%. “A Minecraft Movie” was the year’s top-grossing title at GBP £52.3 million (USD $69.4 million), while “Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy” was both the UK’s top local release, at GBP £43.3 million (USD $57.5), and — across Europe — the single most-watched European film of 2025, with 11.8 million admissions.

France and Spain show the other side of the price-cushion pattern. French admissions fell 13.9% to 156.2 million, though the comparison is complicated by the fact that 2024 had been lifted by the extraordinary, one-off success of “Un p’tit truc en plus,” which alone drew 11 million admissions. This year’s top French film, “God Save the Tuche,” sold 3 million tickets — the only local title to crack the annual top 10, but no match for the prior year’s outlier.

Spain’s admissions fell 8.5%, to 65 million, while box office fell a shallower 5%, to EUR €453 million (USD $516 million)— a similar per-ticket cushion at the country level. Revenue was up 3% in the first half before falling 16% in the second, while Spanish films held a steady 19% share, roughly flat against 2024 and a sign the problem was thin overall supply rather than a weak local slate.

Where Local Cinema Did the Heavy Lifting — and Where It Wasn’t Enough Alone
Germany delivered the cleanest example of domestic strength translating into real growth: box office rose 6.4% to EUR €924 million (USD $1.05 billion) and admissions rose 2.1%, with local films capturing 27.4% of admissions, up eight percentage points, led by Michael Herbig’s “Manitou’s Canoe,” which drew more than 5 million admissions and EUR €50.9 million (USD $58 million).

Denmark posted the strongest attendance growth in Scandinavia, up 4.5% to 10.25 million admissions, on a record 37% domestic market share against 23.3% in 2024; “Checkered Ninja 3” and “The Last Viking” led a slate of local releases that nearly doubled, from 19 titles to 39.

Italy is the more complicated case, and the one that best captures the report’s central tension. Local productions claimed 32.7% of box-office revenue, the highest share since 2016, on the strength of Checco Zalone’s “Buen Camino,” which opened on Christmas Day, took EUR €36 million (USD $41 million) in its first week, and went on, with a strong holdover into 2026, to become the highest-grossing release in Italian box office history, surpassing 2009’s “Avatar.” Yet Italy’s overall box office barely moved, up just 0.5%, and admissions actually slipped slightly, because Hollywood’s share of Italian revenue fell 25% year over year. Local content did not lift the market so much as keep it from sinking under that pullback — arguably the clearest evidence in the report for UNIC’s case that exhibition needs both halves of the slate.

Across the EU, European films held a 31.4% market share — down from 33.3% in 2024, though still above the 26.1% recorded in 2019. A record 42 European titles ranked among the top five highest-grossers in their national markets, up from 39 in 2024 and 26 in 2023: evidence of a broader, more evenly distributed slate, even as the aggregate share dipped.

Hollywood Still Anchors the Slate
The report does not pretend Hollywood is any less essential to the recovery story. The year’s most widely viewed titles across UNIC territories included Disney’s “Zootopia 2,” “Avatar: Fire and Ash” and “Lilo & Stitch”; Warner Bros.’ “A Minecraft Movie”; Universal’s “Jurassic World: Rebirth” and “Wicked: For Good”; Paramount’s “Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning”; and Sony’s “28 Years Later.”

Those titles supplied the tentpole infrastructure local hits need to flourish — Italy’s case shows what happens when that infrastructure weakens. UNIC’s report argues that cinema-going cannot be sustained on tentpoles alone, nor can local production carry every market on its own; it takes a steady, year-round mix of both to keep admissions from sliding further.

Windows, Mergers and the Fight Over Supply
That argument is why theatrical exclusivity sits at the center of UNIC’s policy section, linked directly to admissions recovery, reduced piracy risk and exhibitors’ ability to keep investing in auditoriums and premium formats. The timing is not incidental: UNIC devotes substantial space to opposing the proposed Paramount Skydance–Warner Bros. Discovery transaction, citing Disney’s 2019 acquisition of 20th Century Fox as precedent, where the combined studio’s theatrical output fell more than 30% despite assurances made at the time.

UNIC wants the European Commission and the UK’s Competition and Markets Authority to make any release-volume and windowing commitments legally binding rather than voluntary — a fight that will shape exhibitor supply conversations well beyond this CineEurope. With fewer studios controlling more must-see content, the risk is not only a further shift in bargaining power away from cinemas, but a narrower and less diverse release pipeline overall.

Momentum Builds Into 2026
The report closes on a more optimistic note than 2025’s figures alone suggest. December 2025 generated $3.5 billion at the worldwide box office, the strongest December since 2019 and up 10% year over year, momentum that carried into the first quarter of 2026, with more than 15 European territories posting double-digit growth. Gower Street Analytics has revised its 2026 outlook accordingly, raising its international projection, excluding China, by $50 million to $18.45 billion, citing stronger performance in Europe, the Middle East and Africa.

That optimism and the merger fight are two sides of the same argument. UNIC’s pipeline case — a deeper, steadier slate, with windows protected regardless of how the Paramount-Warner deal shakes out — is what is supposed to turn 2026’s early momentum into something durable rather than another year propped up by pricier tickets.

The challenge is making that less of a patchwork and more of a pattern. Whether that happens may depend less on audiences than on what regulators in Brussels and London decide to do next.

The post UNIC Reports European Box Office Held Near €6.9 Billion in 2025, But Admissions Tell a More Complicated Story appeared first on Celluloid Junkie.

When Andrew Cripps, Head of Global Theatrical Distribution at The Walt Disney Company, arrived at the International Cinema Technology Association’s seminar in Barcelona on Sunday — one day before CineEurope officially opened — the audience was expecting clarity.

Two months after Disney unveiled Infinity Vision at CinemaCon in Las Vegas, exhibitors, technology partners and distributors were still trying to decipher exactly what the program was, who qualified and what it meant for their screens. Was it a new premium large format? A certification scheme? A Disney-owned quality mark? A marketing umbrella for exhibitor-branded PLF auditoriums?

Cripps is a well-liked executive, genuinely respected across the industry, and his willingness to engage on the topic was appreciated. But if the goal was to leave the room with a shared understanding of Infinity Vision, the session fell somewhat short — less because Cripps was evasive than because the program itself still appears to be evolving. What became clear is that Infinity Vision remains a work in progress, one with an obvious commercial rationale and a number of practical details yet to be fully defined.

What Infinity Vision Actually Is
Cripps framed the origins of Infinity Vision in straightforward commercial terms. The program emerged from a recognition that Disney’s marketing machine simply cannot effectively promote every premium large format screen in the world — of which, by his count, there are a staggering number.

“There are 75 exhibitor-owned PLF brands in North America, and there are over 320 exhibitor-owned PLF brands around the world,” Cripps said. “It’s very difficult — impossible — for us to effectively market all of those brands.”

The brands Disney can market globally are the ones with recognized consumer-facing names: IMAX, Dolby Cinema and ScreenX among them. Everything else — however technically impressive — lacks the shorthand that drives ticket buyers to seek out a specific auditorium.

Infinity Vision, in theory, is designed to solve that problem by creating a single umbrella brand Disney can actively promote: a signal to consumers that a screen meets a quality threshold worth paying for.

“What we want to make sure,” Cripps said, “is that customers understand — we want to set some standards, we want to make sure that we can try to drive customers to the best experience possible, with a shorthand marketing communication.”

That makes Infinity Vision less a new cinema technology than a studio-led attempt to identify, package and market high-quality non-IMAX premium auditoriums at scale.

The “Doomsday” Context Nobody Is Pretending Doesn’t Exist
Cripps also acknowledged the obvious subtext directly.

“We have a movie, it’s no secret, at the end of the year, ‘Avengers: Doomsday,’ that does not have IMAX,” he said.

With “Dune: Part Three” widely expected to command the IMAX footprint on the same 18 December 2026 release date, Disney needs an alternative premium tier to market for one of the biggest films on its upcoming slate. Infinity Vision is designed to be that alternative.

Cripps was candid that the timing provided a useful launch platform, while also pushing back against the idea that the program is purely reactive. “It felt like something — like I said, we talked about it for a while. How do we more effectively market the premium large formats that are out there? This feels like a really good launch pad for that.”

The rollout sequence confirms the stakes. A reissue of “Avengers: Endgame” in Infinity Vision will serve as a test run in September, followed by “Avengers: Doomsday” as the true commercial launch in December.

More Than a Badge, But Not Quite a Format
The most concrete element of Infinity Vision may be the one that distinguishes it most clearly from a simple logo program: Infinity Vision screens will receive a different DCP than standard auditoriums.

“The DCP will be a different DCP,” Cripps said. “We’re going to have different content for the Infinity Vision screens, whether it’s a button… a special piece of hopefully a filmmaker introduction at the beginning… different aspect ratio. There’s different things that we’re working on for Infinity Vision, and every movie I think will be different.”

That matters. If Infinity Vision were only a label applied to exhibitor-owned PLF auditoriums, exhibitors might reasonably ask what Disney is adding beyond a marketing badge. Cripps’ answer appears to be: global marketing support, potentially earlier ticketing and some form of differentiated theatrical content — with the specifics varying title by title.

What remains less clear is how meaningful those differences will be at the consumer level. Whether the alternate DCPs contain material unavailable in other theatrical versions, and whether any exclusive content is specific to Infinity Vision screens or simply part of a broader theatrical window, was not entirely resolved in the session. When an audience member asked Cripps to define what a “button” actually is, he explained it as an Easter egg or additional piece of content — “probably for another movie, or linking the movie to another movie coming.” He confirmed such material would be “exclusively to theaters,” though it remained unclear whether that exclusivity extends to Infinity Vision screens specifically or to theatrical exhibition generally.

Qualification vs. Certification
One of the more pointed audience questions cut to the heart of what has left exhibitors confused since CinemaCon: is Infinity Vision a qualification program — where an exhibitor ticks the boxes and is included — or a certification program, where Disney or an outside party verifies the quality of the auditorium?

Cripps’ answer was honest, and probably the most illuminating thing he said all session.

“It’s voluntary,” he said. “We don’t have a team of people that we can send out and check. We want to work collaboratively with exhibition. So, we said these are generally the standards we’re working to — work with us. Send us the screens that qualify, and then let’s talk about how we can more effectively market those screens.”

At least for now, Infinity Vision is closer to a voluntary, Disney-reviewed qualification process than a formal third-party certification scheme. Exhibitors submit screens. Disney evaluates them. There are no inspectors, no THX-style audit process, and no precise public technical checklist — only standards Disney describes as still being refined in collaboration with exhibitors.

Cripps indicated Disney would issue further details before its Wednesday presentation at CineEurope, including target screen counts. Until then, exhibitors are left with the broad contours of the program rather than firm specifications.

When Premium Does Not Fit One Global Standard
The limits of that flexibility came into focus when a questioner raised a very concrete version of the ambiguity. Some French exhibitors, he noted, have invested significantly in premium screens — in some cases with 4K laser projection — but those screens may be only 12 meters wide, potentially falling short of whatever screen-size threshold Infinity Vision requires.

Cripps’ response was notable for its pragmatism, and for the question it left hanging.

“I think if it’s the premium screen for that region, then I think we should be talking about trying to elevate that experience,” he said. “I think too often we come up with these standards that — one size doesn’t always fit all.”

That is a reasonable instinct. It recognizes the reality that a premium screen in a smaller regional market may not look like a flagship PLF auditorium in London, Paris or Shanghai. But if one size does not fit all, the obvious follow-up is: what exactly is the standard? At this stage, the answer appears to be that Disney is still working that out. Cripps said thousands of screens had already been submitted for evaluation, but the criteria remain opaque enough that some exhibitors left the room still unsure whether their auditoriums were in or out.

That uncertainty cuts both ways. Too rigid, and Infinity Vision risks excluding worthwhile premium screens in smaller markets. Too flexible, and it risks becoming a marketing term without enough technical meaning behind it.

Who Owns the Brand — and Who Else Might Use It?
Those standards questions connect directly to the ownership question, because a brand is only as meaningful as the consistency of what it represents. Disney has registered the Infinity Vision trademark in nearly every major market, with Cripps noting exceptions in India and Japan where prior registrations existed.

Cripps framed that as a starting point rather than a territorial claim. “The intention was not to create something that Disney were going to own and control,” he said. “The first two movies coming out will be Disney movies. We’ve actually presented to other studios and tried to encourage them to come along… but I think people are waiting to see how it rolls out.”

That is a familiar dynamic in this industry. Everyone likes the idea of a shared solution. Everyone also wants someone else to take the risk of going first. Disney is going first — and whether Infinity Vision ultimately becomes a broader industry standard or remains a Disney-branded marketing vehicle may depend as much on what “Avengers: Doomsday” does at the box office in December as it does on the elegance of the qualification framework.

What Can Play on an Infinity Vision Screen?
One source of confusion among attendees was whether a screen that qualifies for Infinity Vision would somehow be restricted in what it could play. The answer, based on Cripps’ remarks and the nature of the program, is no.

Infinity Vision is not a proprietary projection system. It does not prevent an auditorium from playing non-Disney titles. A screen that qualifies for “Avengers: Doomsday” could still play “Dune: Part Three,” or any other title, subject to normal booking decisions.

But unless another studio adopts the label, that film would not be playing “in Infinity Vision.” It would be playing in that exhibitor’s premium auditorium — whether branded as a circuit PLF, Dolby Cinema, ScreenX, 4DX or something else. That distinction may be obvious to studio distribution executives. It was not obvious to everyone in the room.

Pricing Is the Exhibitor’s Call
Cripps also clarified that Disney is not imposing a ticket surcharge on Infinity Vision presentations.

“Distributors don’t set ticket prices, you do,” he told exhibitors. “There’s no premium that Disney’s charging. Exhibitors are free to charge whatever they want.”

That does not mean exhibitors will not charge more. Premium branding exists in part because moviegoers have shown they will pay for better experiences — and Cripps made that case elsewhere in the conversation, arguing that when premium tickets go on sale, “the first tickets that sell out are the premium expensive tickets.” Infinity Vision is designed to help exhibitors sell those seats, not discount them.

What We Still Don’t Know
Cripps made a genuine and good-faith effort to explain Infinity Vision to an audience that wanted and needed an explanation. The program’s commercial logic is clear, and the core proposition — a Disney-led (for now) umbrella brand that helps consumers identify premium non-IMAX auditoriums — has real value for an exhibition sector whose PLF investments have long outpaced the industry’s ability to communicate them to ticket buyers.

What remains unclear are the practical mechanics: minimum screen specifications, the degree of territory-by-territory flexibility, what happens to strong regional premium screens that fall short of global thresholds, and whether a voluntary, exhibitor-submitted process can sustain enough consistency for the brand to mean something at scale.

Those answers may come from Disney’s Wednesday presentation at CineEurope, from the September “Avengers: Endgame” reissue, or from “Avengers: Doomsday” itself in December. For now, Infinity Vision is a program with a compelling premise and a strong commercial rationale — and a lot of fine print still being written.

Update — June 24, 2026: One day after this article was published, Disney provided additional public details about Infinity Vision during its CineEurope presentation in Barcelona, with Jeffrey Forman, Senior Vice President, International Film Distribution at The Walt Disney Studios, referring to Infinity Vision as a “certification program.”

According to Disney, auditoriums seeking Infinity Vision branding must meet several technical standards, including a screen at least 45 feet wide, immersive audio such as Dolby Atmos or 7.1, and brightness levels of either 14 footlamberts for 2D or 6 footlamberts for 3D presentations. Disney has also launched an Infinity Vision ticketing landing page at InfinityVisionTickets.com.

The additional details clarify some of the questions raised during Andrew Cripps’ ICTA appearance, particularly around minimum technical specifications. They also confirm that Disney is positioning Infinity Vision more formally as a certification program, even as its initial public explanation emphasized a voluntary, collaborative process with exhibitors. Disney reportedly received more than 7,500 applications from global exhibitor screens seeking certification and is now reviewing those auditoriums.

The post Disney’s Andrew Cripps Says Infinity Vision Is More Marketing Program Than Certification Scheme appeared first on Celluloid Junkie.

Over the past several months, we’ve been asked on numerous occasions when nominations would open for this year’s list. The good news is that nominations are now officially open.

Last year, we received a record number of nominations, which made selecting the final list more difficult than ever. As in recent years, we are again applying a set of simple criteria to help streamline the process, give nominators clearer guidance and ensure the selection committee has the information it needs to produce the strongest and most deserving list possible.

For those looking to nominate candidates — and we hope that’s everyone reading this — we ask that nominees meet the criteria below:

1. Candidates should have been working in the cinema exhibition industry for a minimum of two years.
2. Candidates should hold at least a management-level position.
3. Candidates should be able to demonstrate additional industry contributions, achievements, recognition or initiatives. These do not necessarily have to be directly related to exhibition, but they should be outlined in the submission form.

In order to be recognised on this year’s list, nominees should demonstrate how they have made a positive difference within their business beyond their daily work, as well as how they have contributed to the broader exhibition industry. Along with career highlights and background information, please be sure to include new and relevant accomplishments from the last 12–18 months.

These criteria will help the selection committee evaluate nominees. Ultimately, our goal is to make sure candidates are included because they are genuinely impressive — not simply because they are good at their job, which we would assume is a given.

If you’re unsure whether someone qualifies, or have any questions about the process, please get in touch with us at women@celluloidjunkie.com.

And finally, as we say every year — and cannot stress enough — we can’t compile the list without support from the industry. In other words: please get your nominations in. Submit them via this form.

If you’re interested in partnering with us on this project, please drop us a line at sponsorship@celluloidjunkie.com.

The deadline for submissions is 12 June 2026. We are currently scheduled to publish the list just prior to this year’s CineEurope, which takes place 22–25 June 2026 in Barcelona, Spain.

The post Nominations Open for CJ’s 2026 Top Women in Global Cinema List appeared first on Celluloid Junkie.

But this year, any talk of industry unity came with an asterisk.

The proposed Paramount/Warner Bros. Discovery merger has divided the industry that gathered in Las Vegas in ways that make any messaging of solidarity look fragile. The Warner Bros. Discovery shareholders voted to approve the merger 23 April. Whatever happens next, CinemaCon made clear that unity, while still invoked, is no longer assumed.

The Official Narrative
On the Colosseum stage, the message was one of continuity and confidence.

Motion Picture Association (MPA) Chairman and CEO Charles Rivkin centered his remarks on a theme of trust; with a 91% public approval rating for the MPA’s ratings system as his evidence that the industry has built something durable. The framing was partly self-congratulatory but served a pointed purpose: differentiating the theatrical experience from the social media platforms under sustained regulatory scrutiny over children’s safety. When Instagram attempted to appropriate the MPA’s PG-13 designation for teen accounts, the MPA pushed back and won. “Let there be no doubt,” Rivkin said. “On my watch, no one will confuse movies shown in your theaters with user-generated content people watch on their phones.”

It was less a defense of theatrical than a line being drawn around what the industry still considers itself to be.

On copyright and artificial intelligence, Rivkin staked out the MPA’s consistent position: copyright protection and technological innovation are “twin pillars,” not competing priorities. The core copyright industries contribute more than USD $2 trillion to the gross domestic product of the United States and supports 11.6 million workers, he noted, and AI should be “a tool that can enhance human creativity, not replace it.” The MPA’s successful pushback against ByteDance’s Seedance 2.0 — a text-to-video platform that launched using copyrighted studio characters — was cited as a recent proof of concept: swift action produced guardrails.

His primary legislative objective remains a federal film tax incentive, a campaign he flagged at CinemaCon 2025 and reported progress on this year. If enacted, it would represent a structural shift in how the U.S. competes with Canada, the United Kingdom, and other jurisdictions that have long used production incentives to attract Hollywood shoots.

What Rivkin did not address was the defining corporate story hanging over the week. As head of an organization representing both Paramount and Warner Bros. Discovery, Rivkin avoided the merger entirely.

At CinemaCon, silence can be strategic.

Optimism, Genuine and Qualified
Cinema United President and CEO Michael O’Leary struck a similar tone of cautious optimism, but with a more grounded focus on the realities facing exhibition.

He opened with a personal anecdote — —recalling celebrating America’s bicentennial at age eight and his grandfather’s prediction that he might live to see the country’s 250th anniversary. “Good news,” O’Leary said, “I made it, and so did America.”

The point was not nostalgia, but resilience. The theatrical business, like the country it has accompanied for more than half its existence, endures through reinvention rather than inertia.

The numbers were genuinely encouraging. Gen Z is now the industry’s fastest-growing habitual moviegoing segment: frequency among 12-to-28-year-olds increased 25% in a single year, and a recent study identified moviegoing as the top leisure activity among young people. Five of the top ten domestic box office performers in 2025 were rated PG. Original films performed strongly. The first quarter of 2026 has sustained the momentum, with Amazon MGM’s “Project Hail Mary,” Disney’s “Hoppers,” and Universal’s “The Super Mario Galaxy Movie” all delivering for movie theatres.

What this suggests is not just recovery, but the return of habit — something the industry has spent the last five years trying to rebuild.

The newly formed Cinema United Filmmaker Leadership Council — led by Jerry Bruckheimer and Emma Thomas, with Brad Bird, Ryan Coogler, Jason Reitman, and Celine Song rounding out the charter membership — was a highlight of O’Leary’s pitch for a broader coalition. Reitman, who owns the Westwood Village Theatre in Los Angeles, appeared at the Independent Theatre Owners Coalition (ITOC) meeting in Las Vegas over the weekend.

But the optimism was qualified.

O’Leary quickly pivoted to the two issues that continue to define exhibition’s outlook: consolidation and windows.

The Window Debate Continues
Release windows remain unfinished business.

The average theatrical window for wide releases in 2025 was 37 days; a three-day increase over 2024, which qualifies as progress only relative to how far the baseline has fallen. Cinema United’s modeling suggests that a universal 45-day floor would have pushed that average to 49 days, a full two weeks longer.

Disney’s 62-day average window in 2025 — and its position as the only studio to generate a billion-dollar film that year, leading the domestic box office for the 12th time in 15 years — makes the correlation increasingly difficult to ignore. Universal’s announcement of a 45-day minimum across all its wide releases effective January 1st drew genuine praise from O’Leary.

And with at least two studios publicly backing a 45-day window, the pressure on holdouts is building. Sony Pictures CEO Tom Rothman has become an increasingly vocal advocate for restoring meaningful windows, having argued on the Colosseum stage during his studio’s Monday evening presentation (and in the New York Times) for a longer exclusive theatrical window.

What remains unresolved is the post-theatrical window. O’Leary said at Cinema United’s press breakfast that the organization would prefer 90 to 120 days before a film reaches a subscription service. Current practice falls well short.

A Consolidation Causes A Fracture
Meanwhile, the debate over the Paramount-Warner Bros. merger brought industry tensions into sharper focus. Even within Cinema United itself.

On one side: O’Leary, who used his State of the Industry address to warn that “further concentrating marketplace power in the hands of a smaller group of distributors that dictate the terms, windows, scheduling, screen-placement of movies, and access to historic film catalogs will have a real and lasting impact on Main Street and millions of movie fans around the world.”

On the other: AMC Theatres Chairman and CEO Adam Aron, who publicly backed the deal later in the week.

That two of the industry’s most prominent voices arrived at diametrically opposite conclusions about the same transaction captures the difficulty of the moment.

Cinema United’s name suggests a consolidated front. The reality, at least on this issue, is more complicated.

The Merger: Hollywood Takes Sides
If the proposed takeover of its parent company went completely unmentioned during Warner Bros. Pictures’ studio slot on Tuesday evening, the tension in the Colosseum came to a head during Paramount’s presentation on Thursday.

Paramount Skydance Chairman and CEO David Ellison stepped on stage to make his appeal directly.

“I wanted to look every single one of you in the eye and give you my word,” he told the assembled theater operators. He committed to a minimum of 30 films per year from the combined entity, a 45-day exclusive theatrical window, and a 90-day period before films move to any streaming service. “People can speculate all they want, but I am standing here today telling you personally that you can count on our complete commitment.”

On paper, it is the kind of framework exhibitors have been asking for. In practice, it is a promise attached to a transaction they do not control.

The commitments drew applause. They are also, on their face, more than exhibition has extracted from either studio independently. Paramount released eight films in 2025 and is planning 15 this year; the pledge of 30 per year is a significant escalation, especially with what many believe will be a leaner studio after potential layoffs.

Aron’s endorsement leaned into exactly that logic. “I am confident that David Ellison is sincere as to his intentions, and truly believe that he in fact will wind up delivering on these commitments,” he said in a statement issued Thursday.

Cinema United was not convinced. In a formal statement issued hours after Ellison’s speech, the organization said: “While recent pledges attempt to address the threats of consolidation to our industry, they are not yet sufficient in addressing our concerns. We remain open to tangible commitments that will ensure a vibrant global theatrical exhibition industry for years to come.”

One way to read that is: put it in writing, Mr. Ellison. Preferably in a contract.

History Is Rhyming, If Not Repeating
The structural argument against the deal draws on history.

The Walt Disney Company’s acquisition of Twentieth Century Fox’s entertainment assets in 2019 and Discovery’s takeover of WarnerMedia both resulted in widespread layoffs and production cutbacks. The latter saddled Warner Bros. Discovery with USD $43 billion in debt on day one, prompting deep cost cuts throughout the organization. The proposed Paramount merger would produce a combined debt load of USD $79 billion; a figure cited prominently by critics of the deal.

That concern has extended well beyond exhibition. An open letter opposing the transaction — organized with support from Jane Fonda’s Committee for the First Amendment and signed by nearly 1,000 artists at publication, with the number growing past 4,000 — included Denis Villeneuve, Joaquin Phoenix, Emma Thompson, Glenn Close, JJ Abrams, Ben Stiller, and Bryan Cranston among its signatories. “This transaction would further consolidate an already concentrated media landscape, reducing competition at a moment when our industries — and the audiences we serve — can least afford it,” the letter read.

At Cinema United’s press breakfast, O’Leary offered a blunt assessment of what consolidation could mean in practice: it would take eight high-performing independent films to replace the revenue of a single average Warner Bros. release.

“I don’t want to create the impression that we’re just going to fill the gap,” he said.

On the question of inevitability, O’Leary was more direct. “Things are inevitable until they’re not,” he said. For now, he added the strategy is simple: “We’re going to play until the whistle or until my board tells me to stop.”

Netflix, Still in the Room — Though Not in Theatres
That informal breakfast conversation was perhaps the most candid of the week.

On Sunday, before CinemaCon officially began, Netflix Co-CEO Ted Sarandos had been seen exiting Caesars Palace, after meeting with exhibition leaders on Cinema United’s board. Asked about it, O’Leary explained that the meeting had originally been arranged while Netflix was still in the running to acquire Warner Bros. Discovery. When Netflix withdrew from that bidding war, O’Leary expected it to be called off. It wasn’t.

“And so we came, had a candid conversation. In fairness, all of my conversations with them have been candid,” said O’Leary of Netflix. No commitments were made on either side during the discussion.

“I don’t want the message when we walk out of here [to be] that Netflix is coming to theaters,” he said. “I just think it was a good chance to get everybody in the same room together, develop and understand each other, and say, ‘Look, if there’s a path forward in the future, we should explore it.'”

When pressed on whether Netflix could one day present at CinemaCon, O’Leary did not close the door. “That door’s open to anybody who wants to be in theatrical in a meaningful way,” he said. “So if you’re asking me in two years if they were doing a Netflix presentation because there’s half a dozen movies going into theaters, with fully supported marketing and windows, yeah, absolutely, we’ll find time.”

That is not a negotiated position. It is, however, a signal: the conversation is now happening at the highest level.

The Terms of Coexistence
What CinemaCon 2026 made plain is that theatrical exhibition is no longer fighting for survival. It is now negotiating its terms of coexistence — with streaming platforms, with consolidating studios, with the economics of a supply chain that remains unsettled.

The question of who controls the content, and on what terms, is the one the industry came to Las Vegas unable to answer — and left still unresolved.

The post CinemaCon 2026: A Merger Splits the House appeared first on Celluloid Junkie.

For years, Nollywood has been one of the most productive film industries in the world, but productivity has never translated neatly into power. The industry has lived in a strange in-between; globally visible, culturally influential, but structurally underbuilt. Filmhouse Group is betting that the problem was never the story but the system. Chief Marketing Officer Mojisola Oladapo told Celluloid Junkie, “We are shaping how audiences perceive and engage with African stories. I say this because there used to be a time when Nollywood was perceived as substandard because of the quality of their film. You can tell it’s no longer the same.”

At a time when global audiences are increasingly hungry for diverse stories, Nigeria’s film industry — Nollywood — stands at a critical inflection point. Prolific yet often structurally constrained, the industry is now being transformed by companies that recognise storytelling alone is not enough. Among the most strategic of these is Filmhouse Group. They’re not just quietly making eligible films; they’re building a functional system that inspires growth and relevance in practical terms. “For us it goes beyond the stories,” said Oladapo. “We are the bridge.”

Strategic Thinking
What distinguishes Filmhouse is not simply its scale, but its philosophy: Nollywood’s global relevance cannot be achieved through content alone, but through infrastructure, partnerships, and systems that mirror and eventually rival those of Hollywood. Filmhouse is not just striving to build a film company but a strong ecosystem with compelling global relevance.

Filmhouse Group operates through a vertically integrated model that spans cinema exhibition (Filmhouse Cinemas), distribution (FilmOne Entertainment), and production (FilmOne Studios). This structure allows the company to control the entire value chain from how films are made, to how they are marketed, to where and how they are shown. This is significant because one of Nollywood’s historical weaknesses has been fragmentation. Films were often produced independently, distributed informally, and exhibited inconsistently. Filmhouse’s model has replaced that fragmentation with a coordinated structure that is currently reshaping Nollywood’s presence.

“The balance is deliberate as a business,” Filmhouse CEO Kene Okwuosa said. “Hollywood titles remain important for driving consistent footfall and sustaining cinema-going habits, while Nollywood continues to perform strongly across our cinema locations through premieres, talent, and storytelling.”

Under the leadership of Okwuosa, the company has grown into a dominant force, accounting for a substantial share of cinema ticket sales in Nigeria and distributing many of the country’s highest-grossing films: “A Tribe Called Judah” was the first Nollywood film to gross more than NGN ₦1 billion (USD $743,235), eventually reaching NGN ₦1.408 billion (USD $1.04 million), and “Behind the Scenes” took NGN ₦2.76 billion (USD $2.04 million). But scale alone is not the goal, standardisation is. Filmhouse’s leadership has been explicit about a key idea: global success requires global-standard infrastructure. This is why the company has invested heavily in cinema technology and boosting the moviegoing experience, introducing IMAX and other advanced formats into Nigeria, and expanding modern multiplexes beyond traditional elite urban zones.

Adding Value
In a shifting economy with uncertainties (inflation hitting operating costs, piracy, competition from streamers), Filmhouse is maximising data, partnerships and collaborations to drive efficiency and expansion, with an eye on increasing Nollywood’s relevance and standing. These moves are not just about local market growth; they are about perception. The reception of a film by audiences, investors, and international partners is immediately elevated when it is presented in a world-class environment.

As Okwuosa puts it, the global appetite for African stories already exists. The challenge is building the systems to sustain and scale that demand: from licensing frameworks to exhibition standards to distribution pipelines. 

In other words, Filmhouse is reframing Nollywood from a volume industry to a value industry through a strategic ecosystem that maximises collaborations and partnerships. Through FilmOne Entertainment, the company holds theatrical distribution relationships with major Hollywood studios such as Disney, Warner Bros., Sony, Angel, Empire, MGM, and Sun Africa Group. This is doing two things simultaneously. Firstly, it positions Filmhouse as a gateway for international content into West Africa. In turn, it creates reciprocal pathways for Nollywood films to access global distribution networks. This dual positioning is critical. Rather than isolating Nollywood as a regional industry, Filmhouse aims to embed it within the global film economy where collaboration, co-production, and cross-market distribution are the norm. 

In addition, their presence at major international events like the Cannes Film Festival and the recently concluded CinemaCon further reinforces this ambition. By participating in global industry conversations, showcasing projects, and forming partnerships, Filmhouse is actively inserting Nollywood into the circuits where cinema is defined.

CEO Okwuosa, explained what Filmhouse’s international strategy looks like in practical terms. “As a business across exhibition, distribution, and production, Filmhouse Group’s international strategy is focused on scale and long-term positioning,” he said. “This includes strengthening studio relationships, maintaining a presence in key international markets, and building exhibition, distribution, and production infrastructure that aligns with global standards, while positioning African content for wider reach.”

Historically, Nollywood’s strength has been its cultural specificity, with stories deeply rooted in Nigerian and African realities. Filmhouse understands this dynamic, and is refining it and positioning it for global relevance. Filmhouse’s CMO Oladapo detailed how the company is balancing local content with Hollywood titles, calling it “a beautiful time to be alive and in the business. A decade ago, this wouldn’t be a conversation, Nollywood versus Hollywood in the same conversation. The power of storytelling excellence is what Nollywood is investing in. Stepping up, and proper execution is the reason we can have this conversation.”

Oladapo stated that Filmhouse’s core focus on distribution has been around portfolio optimisation. “Sometimes, particularly in the peak period like December, the past December was exceptional [for varied, complementary releases],” she said. “We had both ‘Avatar,’ with a wide audience, and ‘Behind the Scenes,’ a Nollywood new release, and both performed excellently. Hollywood tends to perform in specific periods like holidays, summer, etc. For Nollywood, we take advantage of specific windows and events. We achieve balance through dynamic scheduling for Hollywood, and for Nollywood, we eventify everything from targeted release timing to meet and greet events that pull audiences.”

Oladapo points to tech advantages that Filmhouse uses to retain an edge in the market. “We are diverse,” she said. “We have technologies that our competitors don’t have at the moment, so we tend to leverage that. The beauty of being the market leader is that your thoughts and ideas happen in real time. ‘Behind the Scenes’ did not just screen in Nigeria, it was distributed across audiences in the United Kingdom, United States and Canada. We window Nollywood titles beyond Nigeria leveraging on the diaspora demand. Sometimes, you don’t want to go with a strategy you are not sure will work in that market. You want to go where the talent has a presence. In the meantime, we are less focussed on building cinemas abroad immediately but more focused on exporting the demand first”.

Filmhouse Projects A Bigger Picture
In particular, Filmhouse’s approach suggests a deliberate counterbalance. By strengthening theatrical distribution, building local infrastructure, and forming international partnerships on its own terms, the company ensures that Nollywood is not merely exported but controlled. When asked about the insights gained from distributing global films locally and how that informs Nollywood internationally, CEO Okwuosa said,  “At FilmOne Entertainment, distributing global films locally has reinforced the importance of strong release strategy, audience understanding, marketing execution, and technical presentation. These are the core drivers of box office performance. We apply the same principles to Nollywood to ensure films are properly positioned and structured to perform across different theatrical markets, including beyond Nigeria.”

One key theme stands out in conversations with Filmhouse leadership: attention to detail. They have taken time to understand their audience and position themselves properly in the market. After grasping their audience, they have continued to build an ecosystem with global relevance, pushing Nollywood forward in the right direction.

Okwuosa went on to describe Filmhouse’s role in connecting African cinema to wider theatrical audiences as an ecosystem builder and connector. “Locally, it provides the infrastructure and platforms that allow African stories to thrive in cinemas,” he said. “Internationally, it engages global partners and industry platforms to position African films as commercially viable theatrical content for broader audiences.”

Filmhouse’s strategy is not just about solving structural challenges; it is about extending global expansion. What distinguishes Filmhouse Group particularly is that it is not just participating in Nollywood’s evolution; it is actively designing it. Its strategy can be summarised in three layers:

1. Dominate locally through exhibition and distribution
2. Standardise production and infrastructure to meet global expectations
3. Integrate globally through partnerships, festivals, and cross-border distribution

Speaking to CJ ahead of a visit to CinemaCon 2026, Okwuosa gave a glimpse of what he expected from the industry’s biggest convention of the year. “I have been going to CinemaCon for over 10 years, and it really reflects the scale of the industry,” he stated. “In 2026, it will be an important indicator of where things are heading, particularly around studio commitment to theatrical exclusivity, how release windows are evolving, focus on emerging markets, improvements in cinema technology and premium formats, and how exhibitors and distributors are working more closely together. It will also give a clearer sense of the major Hollywood titles to look out for across the year, and the overall strength of the studio slates.”

Stepping back to view the ambitious bigger picture, Filmhouse is not just a focus-driven, innovative company, but could also become a bridge between Nollywood and the world. While there has been visible progress, a question remains: can this group successfully build a premium film culture in a country where piracy remains a significant threat to revenue? Filmhouse is strongly betting that, over time, the answer will be yes. And if they’re proven right, it could be not only Nigeria but the world that reaps the benefits.

The post How Filmhouse is Positioning Nollywood, and Its Own Business, within the Global Cinema Landscape appeared first on Celluloid Junkie.

Walk past the right display at CinemaCon this April, and something might make you stop cold. It won’t be a trailer, or a touchscreen kiosk, or even an unusually well-designed paper poster. It’ll be an 85-inch screen mounted flush to a wall — two inches deep — showing content that appears to float in three-dimensional space, without glasses, without a headset, and without so much as an awkward lean to catch the effect.

That’s the pitch Samsung is making with Spatial Signage, a new product in the company’s commercial display portfolio that the manufacturer officially launched in February and is bringing to CinemaCon for its first major exhibition industry showcase. The SMHX series — currently available as the SM85HX, an 85-inch portrait-orientation display — uses what Samsung calls a patented 3D Plate, which applies lenticular lens technology to create the impression of depth and dimension in standard content without any special viewing equipment.

“Think of the movie poster, but in a three-dimensional form,” said Christopher Simpson, Samsung’s Senior Business Development Manager – Cinema LED. “And then there’s the ability to have interactive where somebody could be standing in front of it, and there’s a camera embedded in the display, and they’re interacting with that piece of content, and they might have a takeaway piece for themselves that they can then use on social media. That in itself kind of becomes free advertising for the studio.”

From the Baseball Card to the Lobby Wall
The underlying technology behind the new display is older than it might appear. Lenticular printing, the process of layering an image with tiny cylindrical lenses to create the illusion of motion or depth, has been used in novelty products for decades. Samsung has effectively miniaturized and digitized the concept, embedding a lenticular layer into its 3D Plate and combining it with AI-driven processing to enhance depth and motion in real time.

Simpson offered a straightforward analogy: those baseball cards from the early 2000s — the ones that shifted slightly when you tilted them — created depth the same way. The difference now is that the technology has been scaled to an 85-inch commercial display, thinned to a 2-inch profile, and made capable of rendering full-motion video content.

“The real differentiator compared to the other technologies that were out there prior is the depth of the display,” Simpson explained. “Those were very, very deep, maybe three to four feet in depth, and looked mostly like a giant box with somebody standing inside of it. This has shrunk all that down to only a two-inch size. So you can mount it onto a wall instead of just having it on the floor.”

That last point matters more than it might seem. For most cinema lobbies, floor square footage is premium real estate; concessions, ticketing kiosks, merchandise, and foot traffic all compete for the same finite space. A display that mounts flush to the wall like a standard flatscreen, rather than requiring a dedicated footprint and structural rigging, changes the calculus of where and how a technology like this could realistically be deployed.

The Lobby Problem
Samsung is entering a cinema market that’s increasingly focused on the question of what happens before and after the movie. Post-pandemic, exhibitors have invested heavily in the auditorium experience — laser projection, premium large format screens, upgraded seating — but the lobby has remained comparatively static. Paper posters still hang in many theatres. Flat digital signage displays cycle through the same promotional loops they always have. The lobby experience, for most moviegoers, is something to pass through, not linger in.

That calculus is increasingly under scrutiny. The global digital signage market was estimated at roughly $28.8 billion in 2024, with projections pointing toward $45.9 billion by 2030, and much of that growth is being driven by a push to make displays more immersive and more interactive in high-traffic public venues. In the U.S., digital out-of-home (DOOH) advertising hit a record-high third quarter in 2025, with DOOH accounting for roughly a third of total out-of-home (OOH) revenue and growing at 11.6% year over year.

Simpson sees cinema lobbies as a natural extension of that trend, and one that has remained underpenetrated. “When we think about how the theatre environment has changed post pandemic, it’s more important to get more people to go to the theatre than ever before” he said. “Not only are exhibitors thinking about how to make a premium experience for the auditorium, but how do they improve the overall entertainment value when you come into the theatre? And the studios seem to be embracing that as well.”

The core argument for dwell time is blunt but familiar to anyone in exhibition: the longer an audience lingers in the lobby, the more money they spend. Exhibitors have long wrestled with the audience member who arrives 15 minutes late to skip the pre-show and leaves the moment credits roll. A lobby compelling enough to keep people engaged early — or prompt them to arrive early to experience it — becomes, in effect, a revenue driver.

“Their worst case scenario is somebody coming into the movie theatre 15 minutes late, seeing the movie, and leaving,” Simpson noted. “What they want is for people to hang out longer, spend more time, so they’ll buy things.”

Who Makes the Content — and Who Pays for It?
The perennial challenge with lobby technology isn’t the hardware. It’s the content, and it’s the money.

Samsung’s answer to the content problem — historically where technologies like this stall — is a two-track approach. For exhibitors and studios with resources, the display supports custom 3D content created through third-party production pipelines — provided creators adhere to Samsung’s technical specifications for the format. For everyone else, Samsung has built AI Studio into its VXT cloud content management platform: upload an image, write a prompt, and the system converts it into a 3D-optimized video asset ready for the display.

“For somebody, maybe a smaller theatre chain that doesn’t have the resources or budget of a bigger one, they can still take the assets they have and turn them into a really effective experience with Spatial,” said Esther Kim, Samsung’s Head of Integrated Marketing for the Display Division.

That flexibility matters, because the economics of content production have historically been a sticking point. Studios spend enormous sums on physical lobby materials — even the standalone cardboard cutouts represent a non-trivial line item — but are rarely enthusiastic about absorbing costs for new display formats they don’t own. Exhibitors, for their part, tend to expect studios to fund the visibility. The result is a negotiation that has played out, in various forms, over every major lobby technology of the past two decades.

Samsung is clear-eyed about the fact that those conversations are just beginning. “We believe the potential is there, but it’s too soon to tell,” Simpson said, when asked whether exhibitors might be able to charge studios for placement on Spatial Signage displays. 

The more immediate revenue hypothesis centers on advertising. As lobby ad networks — think NCM, Screenvision, and the programmatic DOOH ecosystem — continue to expand within theatres, a 3D display capable of running dynamic, glasses-free ads could command a meaningful premium over standard flat signage.

“If it’s a premium placement, a premium execution, advertisers are willing to pay more,” said Kim. “Our hypothesis currently is that, yes, if we can help build a premium advertising experience, then yes, advertisers should be willing to pay a premium for that.”

The display supports programmatic advertising out of the box; units are geotagged upon installation, which allows them to be entered into programmatic exchanges that pull demographic and traffic data based on location. A Coca-Cola or Mars Snacking campaign running on a 3D display in a cinema lobby would draw from the same DOOH infrastructure already in use for outdoor and transit advertising, just moved inside.

Built to Scale
Historically, eye-catching lobby technology has struggled to get past the pilot phase. The list of products that generates genuine excitement at trade shows and then quietly disappears from theatre lobbies is a long one. Samsung, aware of this history, is aiming to make adoption easier.

“Spatial Signage was designed with scalability in mind,” Simpson said. “Rather than functioning as a standalone solution, it integrates into existing digital signage ecosystems through centralized content and device management with Samsung’s VXT platform. Exhibitors can manage these displays alongside their current network without introducing new workflows.”

Operationally, the installation requirements are minimal; power and a network connection. The display works with Samsung’s VXT software for remote monitoring and content management, but it also integrates with third-party cinema-focused CMS platforms and digital signage networks already in use at many exhibitors. It doesn’t require a new support relationship: Samsung sells through channel partners, and service support routes operate through those same partners. VXT also includes remote monitoring capabilities, so issues can be diagnosed and often resolved without a site visit.

A smaller 32-inch version of the display is expected later this year, which would open up additional use cases — countertop retail fixtures, concession stands, smaller lobby configurations — beyond the flagship 85-inch wall unit. Whether larger sizes are in development remains unclear, though is surely dependent on uptake of the current displays. 

For CinemaCon, Samsung will be running two Spatial Signage units in its suite; one positioned in the corridor outside the entrance to stop foot traffic, and a second inside the suite itself aimed at something more interactive, content permitting. The company is also bringing its latest Onyx Cinema LED configuration, which will occupy a separate room in Samsung’s CinemaCon trade show suite.

The Bigger Picture
Skeptics will note, reasonably, that no cinema deployments have been announced yet, and that the product is in early discussions with studios and partners rather than rollout. That would likely be true of any product that is a few months old, and Samsung acknowledges as much.

But the argument Kim makes for it is less about novelty than about what exhibitors need to be in the business of delivering. “Every technology investment must deliver a clear business return, especially as cinemas seek new ways to differentiate and attract audiences,” she said. “By introducing dynamic 3D visuals into high-traffic areas, Spatial Signage extends storytelling beyond the auditorium and engages guests from the moment they enter the theatre. Stronger engagement has a direct impact on revenue, where capturing attention at key decision points, such as ticketing and concessions, can influence purchasing behavior.”

The theatrical exhibition industry has spent the better part of a decade making the case that the cinema experience is something television cannot replicate. That argument has mostly been made in the auditorium. Samsung is, in effect, proposing that it needs to start in the lobby.

Whether exhibitors are ready to make that investment, particularly smaller circuits and independents who don’t have the same capital headroom as the major chains, remains an open question. Simpson suggested that revenue-share advertising models could eventually make the technology accessible to operators who can’t absorb an upfront hardware cost. But the business model is still being developed, and the content ecosystem around it is still being built.

What Samsung has done is solve the physical problem that has held this category back: a glasses-free, 3D display that doesn’t require a room of its own. Whether the industry can solve the business case is the question that comes next.

The post The Movie Poster Gets a Makeover: Samsung’s Spatial Signage Wants to Stop You in Your Tracks appeared first on Celluloid Junkie.

At CinemaCon 2026, amusement companies are showcasing a range of experiences designed to complement the moviegoing journey — from arcade games and bowling concepts to immersive entertainment environments and interactive installations. These offerings are not only extending dwell time within cinema venues, but also creating new reasons for audiences to visit outside of peak film releases.

For operators, the focus is on flexibility and integration. Many of these systems are designed to fit within existing lobby or adjacent spaces, allowing cinemas to activate underutilized areas while introducing repeatable, social experiences that go beyond a single screening.

Together, these solutions highlight how cinemas are evolving into broader entertainment destinations, where film remains central but is increasingly supported by a wider mix of attractions and revenue streams.

Betson Enterprises

Location: Julius Ballroom — Booth 715J

Top Gun: Maverick Arcade Cabinet (Raw Thrills & Play Mechanix)

What’s New:
Betson is showcasing the “Top Gun: Maverick” arcade system from Raw Thrills and Play Mechanix, bringing a large-format, motion-based flying experience tied to the well-known film franchise to cinema and entertainment venues.

What It Is:
The attraction is a flight-based arcade game featuring a motion platform, dual 65-inch displays, and a cockpit-style setup with flight stick and throttle controls. The system supports linked cabinets — up to four units — enabling multiplayer gameplay built around competitive missions and score-based progression.

Why It Matters:
For cinema operators, large-format arcade attractions offer a way to increase dwell time and drive incremental spending in lobbies and adjacent spaces. Recognizable IP, particularly tied to theatrical releases, can further enhance visibility and engagement.With its combination of motion simulation, multiplayer capability, and familiar branding, “Top Gun: Maverick” is positioned as a high-impact attraction designed to draw attention and encourage repeat play, particularly in locations already incorporating family entertainment centers (FEC) or experiential elements.

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Brunswick Bowling Products

Location: Julius Ballroom — Booth 920J

Spark Immersive Bowling & Sync Platform

What’s New:
Brunswick is highlighting ongoing updates to its Spark immersive bowling experience and Sync operating platform at CinemaCon, including new interactive content and continued refinements driven by operator feedback.

What It Is:
Spark adds projection-based gameplay and dynamic visuals to bowling lanes, turning them into interactive environments with themed experiences and social features. Sync is Brunswick’s integrated platform for scoring, POS, and venue management, incorporating tools such as mobile ordering and payments.

Why It Matters:
For operators incorporating location-based entertainment alongside cinema, keeping attractions fresh while maintaining operational efficiency is an ongoing challenge. Content updates and interactive features help sustain repeat engagement, while integrated systems can simplify day-to-day management across attractions and food and beverage.

By combining an evolving experience layer with a unified operating platform, Brunswick is positioning its offering as a connected system that supports both guest engagement and backend operations.

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Delta Strike

Location: Julius Ballroom — Booth 331J

Laser Tag & Delta Matrix LED Game Floor

What’s New:
Delta Strike is showcasing its Delta Matrix LED game floor, a recently introduced attraction, alongside the latest generation of its laser tag system at CinemaCon.

What It Is:
The Delta Matrix is an interactive LED floor featuring a library of games designed for both competitive and social play, suitable for a range of age groups and venue types. It is complemented by Delta Strike’s laser tag system, a scalable, arena-based attraction built for high-throughput gameplay with customizable formats and layouts.

Why It Matters:
For operators exploring ways to expand beyond traditional exhibition, combining different types of attractions can help create a more flexible use of space. Open-format experiences like interactive floors can accommodate quick-turn play, while structured attractions such as laser tag support longer, group-based sessions.

Together, these formats allow venues to cater to different audience segments and visit patterns, offering a mix of experiences that can encourage repeat visits and broaden overall appeal.

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Intercard

Location: Julius Ballroom — Booth 732J

Impulse Plus Hybrid Payment Reader

What’s New:
Intercard is introducing the Impulse Plus, a hybrid payment reader that allows arcade games to accept both traditional coin-based play and modern cashless payment methods, including credit cards.

What It Is:
The Impulse Plus is designed for entertainment venues operating a mix of legacy and updated systems, enabling operators to support multiple payment types within the same environment. It also provides real-time reporting on transactions, allowing operators to track performance across both cash and card-based activity.

Why It Matters:
As more cinemas incorporate arcade and location-based entertainment elements, payment flexibility becomes an important consideration. Many venues still operate coin-based equipment while also looking to accommodate card and mobile-first consumers.

Hybrid systems like the Impulse Plus offer a way to bridge that gap, allowing operators to modernize payment options without fully replacing existing equipment. This approach can help reduce friction at the point of play while giving operators better visibility into spending patterns across their entertainment offerings.

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QubicaAMF

Location: Augustus Ballroom — Booth 2504A

Fly’n Ducks Duckpin Bowling & Neoverse Entertainment Environment

What’s New:
QubicaAMF is showcasing a compact bowling and immersive entertainment setup at CinemaCon, combining its Fly’n Ducks duckpin lanes with the Neoverse digital environment.

What It Is:
Fly’n Ducks is a smaller-footprint duckpin bowling system designed for venues where traditional lanes are not practical. The format simplifies operations by removing requirements such as specialized footwear and lane conditioning, making it easier to integrate into mixed-use entertainment spaces.

Paired with it is Neoverse, a venue-wide visual system built around large-format LED displays, synchronized lighting, audio, and interactive content. The platform is designed to transform bowling areas into more dynamic environments, with the ability to display branded content and live video feeds alongside gameplay. The setup is supported by QubicaAMF’s BES NV system, which introduces a more intuitive, streaming-style interface for guests.

Why It Matters:
Cinemas continue to figure out ways to extend dwell time in their venues while diversifying revenue. Thus, compact attractions that fit within existing footprints are becoming more attractive. Bowling, particularly in smaller formats, offers a familiar, repeatable activity that can complement the cinema experience.

At the same time, the integration of large-scale visuals and digital content reflects a broader shift toward more immersive, multi-use entertainment spaces. Systems like this aim to bring together physical activity and visual engagement, aligning more closely with the expectations audiences have for premium, experience-driven venues.

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Shaffer Distributing

Location: Julius Ballroom — Booth 226J

Arcade Game Portfolio – ICEE Slush Rush, Star Wars Coin Pusher, Smurfs Goal Champs

What’s New:
Shaffer Distributing is highlighting a selection of arcade and redemption games at CinemaCon, including licensed and brand-driven attractions designed for high-traffic entertainment environments.

What It Is:
The lineup includes ICEE Slush Rush, a multiplayer skill game where players race to fill cups under time pressure, as well as a Star Wars-themed coin pusher developed with Lucasfilm and Disney. Also featured is Smurfs Goal Champs, a soccer-based redemption game built around quick-play mechanics and repeat engagement .

Together, the portfolio reflects a mix of recognizable IP and simple, accessible gameplay formats commonly used in arcade and family entertainment settings.

Why It Matters:
When it comes to cinema lobby entertainment and adjacent attractions, arcade games remain a straightforward way to increase dwell time and generate incremental revenue. Licensed content, in particular, can help draw attention and connect with audiences already engaged with theatrical brands.

Short-session, repeatable gameplay formats are also well suited to cinema environments, where guests may be looking for quick activities before or after a screening.

Explore more in the 2026 CinemaCon Product Preview series on Celluloid Junkie.

The post CinemaCon 2026 Product Preview: Attractions, Arcade & Alternative Revenue appeared first on Celluloid Junkie.

At CinemaCon 2026, exhibitors are highlighting a range of seating solutions and structural upgrades designed to improve comfort, flexibility, and overall presentation quality. From premium recliners and boutique-style seating to retrofit systems that simplify renovations, the focus is on balancing guest experience with operational efficiency and return on investment.

At the same time, innovations in materials, modular design, and installation approaches are helping operators upgrade auditoriums more quickly and cost-effectively — allowing cinemas to modernize existing spaces without the need for full-scale rebuilds.

Together, these developments reflect an ongoing shift toward more intentional auditorium design, where comfort, aesthetics, and functionality work together to enhance the moviegoing experience.

Atom Seating

Location: Julius Ballroom — Booth 227J

Love Seat (Electron Shell)

What’s New:
Atom Seating is showcasing its Platinum Love Seat in the Electron Shell configuration at CinemaCon, highlighting new developments in smart seating integration and alternative materials aimed at improving sustainability.

What It Is:
The Platinum Love Seat is a premium cinema recliner designed for luxury and dine-in auditoriums, featuring integrated tables, privacy panels, and a paired seating layout. The Electron Shell adds an enclosed structure intended to enhance comfort and reduce distractions within the auditorium environment.

Why It Matters:
As cinemas continue to invest in premium formats, seating is increasingly expected to deliver more than comfort alone. Atom Seating’s approach combines physical design with operational considerations, including features that support maintenance, diagnostics, and overall seat management.

At the same time, the company is exploring alternative materials derived from natural fibers as a way to reduce reliance on traditional components such as PVC and foam. Together, these developments reflect a broader shift toward seating that balances guest experience, operational efficiency, and environmental considerations.

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Encore (Palliser)

Location: Julius Ballroom — Booth 241J

U-Series Recliner (Quantum Motor) & Privacy Pod Configuration

What’s New:
Encore, part of Palliser, is showcasing updates to its U-Series recliner platform at CinemaCon, including a new Quantum Motor designed to improve retrofit flexibility, alongside a Privacy Pod seating configuration focused on more individualized viewing environments.

What It Is:
The U-Series recliner incorporates a motor system that increases egress space when fully extended, allowing existing auditoriums to be upgraded to recliner seating while maintaining aisle clearance requirements. The Privacy Pod configuration introduces a more enclosed, console-centered layout intended to create a lounge-style seating experience. Additional features include wireless charging, in-seat service controls, and integrated lighting elements.

Why It Matters:
When installing premium seating, retrofit constraints, particularly around spacing and accessibility, remain a key consideration. Solutions that allow operators to upgrade seating without major structural changes can help accelerate adoption across existing auditoriums.

At the same time, seating design is evolving beyond comfort alone, with increased emphasis on privacy, personalization, and differentiated experiences within the same auditorium. Configurations like the Privacy Pod reflect a broader shift toward creating more tailored viewing environments that align with premium ticket offerings.

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EOMAC

Location: Julius Ballroom — Booth 721J

KWIK Acoustic Pod

What’s New:
EOMAC is introducing its KWIK Acoustic Pod to the North American market at CinemaCon, expanding a product already used in other regions into cinema and entertainment venues across the U.S.

What It Is:
A self-contained acoustic pod designed to create a quiet, private space within high-traffic environments such as cinema lobbies and family entertainment centres.

Why It Matters:
As cinemas evolve into broader entertainment destinations, not every guest interaction fits a high-energy environment. The KWIK Pod provides a practical way to offer privacy for phone calls, remote work, or short breaks without requiring guests to leave the venue. Its standalone design also makes it relatively easy to integrate into both new builds and existing locations.

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Ferco Seating

Location: Augustus Ballroom — Booth 927J

Verona Zero Wall Zero Gravity Recliners

What’s New:
Ferco Seating is bringing the Verona Zero Wall Zero Gravity recliner to CinemaCon, combining space-saving motion with a comfort-focused seating position in a single integrated design.

What It Is:
The Verona recliner uses a Zero Wall mechanism that allows the seat to fully recline within its own footprint, making it suitable for auditoriums with limited row depth or wall-adjacent layouts. This movement is paired with a Zero Gravity position designed to distribute weight more evenly and support extended viewing comfort.

Why It Matters:
For exhibitors upgrading to premium seating, balancing capacity with comfort remains a central challenge. Recliners typically require additional space, which can reduce seat count and impact overall layout efficiency.

By integrating a space-efficient reclining motion with an ergonomically focused seating position, designs like the Verona offer a way to introduce premium seating while maintaining tighter auditorium configurations. This approach allows operators to improve comfort without fully sacrificing capacity — a trade-off that continues to shape seating decisions across the industry.

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IMERSA Theaters

Location: Meetings by appointment

IMERSA Theaters Branding

What’s New:
IMERSA Theaters is being introduced at CinemaCon as the new international branding for the ICE Theaters premium format, reflecting its broader rollout beyond its initial European deployments.

What It Is:
IMERSA is a premium auditorium concept that extends the on-screen image into the theater environment using synchronized LED side panels and dynamic lighting. The system creates a wider field of peripheral vision while maintaining focus on the main screen. It is typically combined with laser projection or LED displays, immersive audio formats, and premium seating. The format currently offers a catalog of more than 300 titles created specifically for the immersive format.

Why It Matters:
Differentiating premium cinema formats increasingly relies on how the auditorium environment itself enhances the presentation. Formats that extend visual elements beyond the screen aim to create a more immersive experience without requiring entirely new projection technologies or changes to existing projection infrastructure.

By combining lighting, screen technology, and content adaptation into a unified format, IMERSA represents one approach to expanding the scope of the cinematic experience, particularly for exhibitors looking to position select auditoriums as event-driven or premium destinations within their circuit.

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Infinity Seating

Location: Roman 1 & 2

Storm Sofa

What’s New:
Infinity Seating is introducing the Storm Sofa, a boutique-style seating option designed for premium and design-led cinema environments.

What It Is:
The Storm Sofa is a cinema seating solution that draws from residential furniture design, offering a more relaxed, lounge-style alternative to traditional recliners. Designed in the UK and manufactured in the United States, it features a clean, contemporary profile with a range of upholstery and finish options that allow operators to tailor installations to specific branding and interior concepts.

Built for extended viewing, the seating focuses on comfort and support, with cushioning and ergonomics suited to longer dwell times. The modular approach allows cinemas to configure layouts for boutique auditoriums, VIP screens, or smaller-format venues where design and differentiation are key.

Why It Matters:
As cinemas continue to invest in premium formats, seating is increasingly part of the overall brand and experience rather than just a functional component. Options that move beyond traditional recliner formats can help operators create more distinctive environments, particularly in boutique or high-end auditoriums where atmosphere and design play a larger role in attracting audiences.

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Irwin Seating Company

Location: Julius Ballroom — Booth 203J

Spectrum Aura Seating

What’s New:
Irwin Seating is introducing Spectrum Aura at CinemaCon, a seating design focused on simplifying auditorium cleaning and maintenance.

What It Is:
Spectrum Aura incorporates a motorized mechanism housed within the arm casing, allowing the area beneath the seat to remain clear of obstructions. This design reduces the need to clean around complex recliner components and helps eliminate hard-to-reach areas where debris typically accumulates.

Why It Matters:
While much of the focus in cinema seating has been on comfort and premium features, day-to-day maintenance remains a significant operational consideration. Cleaning between shows — particularly in high-capacity auditoriums — can be time-consuming and labor-intensive.

Designs that simplify access to floor space and reduce hidden debris zones can help improve turnaround times and consistency of presentation. For operators managing staffing constraints and tight scheduling, even small efficiencies in cleaning workflows can have a meaningful impact over time.

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Light Tape

Location: Julius Ballroom — Booth 432J

Climax Duo Profile with Light Tape

What’s New:
Light Tape is highlighting its Climax Duo stair-nosing profile at CinemaCon, combining its electroluminescent lighting technology with an updated dual-illumination design for step-edge visibility.

What It Is:
The Climax Duo integrates two lighting elements within a single aluminum profile: a top-edge light that clearly defines the step boundary, and an angled downlight that illuminates the tread surface. The system uses Light Tape’s electroluminescent technology to produce a uniform, low-glare line of light designed for direct viewing in dark environments .

Unlike traditional point-source lighting, the system delivers continuous illumination along the step edge, helping guide foot placement without casting light toward the screen or into the audience’s line of sight.

Why It Matters:
Step-edge visibility is a critical safety consideration in auditoriums, particularly in low-light conditions where slips and missteps are more likely. Lighting that clearly defines edges without introducing glare can help improve navigation while maintaining presentation quality.

Solutions that integrate both safety and low-light performance are especially relevant as cinemas continue to upgrade auditoriums without overhauling their entire lighting infrastructure. By combining edge delineation and tread illumination into a single system, products like the Climax Duo aim to simplify installation while addressing both safety and viewing environment concerns.

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Lumma 4D E-Motion

Location: Augustus Ballroom — Booth 2204A

4D E-Motion Interconnectable Modules

What’s New:
Lumma is introducing a new modular version of its 4D E-Motion system at CinemaCon, designed to simplify installation and reduce the cost of converting auditoriums to 4D.

What It Is:
The updated system is built around interconnectable, self-contained modules that house all motion and environmental effects within each unit. These modules can be linked via daisy-chain connectivity, allowing for faster deployment and more flexible auditorium configurations .

The design reduces the need for complex pre-installation work and enables integration with both new and existing seating layouts, including recliner configurations without structural modifications. Lumma is marking the 10th anniversary of its 4D E-Motion platform, which is currently deployed in approximately 100 auditoriums across 18 countries.

Why It Matters:
While 4D formats have been available for years, installation complexity and cost have limited broader adoption. Systems that reduce infrastructure requirements and simplify deployment can make these formats more accessible to a wider range of exhibitors.

By shifting toward a modular architecture, Lumma’s latest update reflects a broader trend in cinema technology: lowering the barrier to entry for premium experiences while improving operational efficiency and long-term maintenance.

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Mobiliario Seating

Location: Julius Ballroom — Booth 303J

Cloud Riser & Hypnos Riser

What’s New:
Mobiliario Seating is showcasing its Cloud Riser and Hypnos Riser models at CinemaCon, designed to allow exhibitors to upgrade to premium recliner seating without requiring major structural changes to existing auditoriums.

What It Is:
The seating systems are engineered to fit within current auditorium layouts, enabling cinemas to retrofit existing spaces with recliner-style seating rather than undertaking full-scale renovations. Both models focus on ergonomic comfort and integrated tray-table functionality, aligning with premium and dine-in formats.

Why It Matters:
Upgrading to premium seating has become a key revenue driver for many exhibitors, but traditional retrofits can involve significant downtime, construction costs, and layout changes. Solutions like the Cloud and Hypnos Riser are aimed at reducing those barriers by allowing operators to modernize auditoriums more quickly, with minimal disruption to ongoing operations.

By lowering the complexity of installation while still delivering a higher-end seating experience, these systems offer a potential pathway for cinemas looking to introduce premium pricing tiers without committing to a full rebuild.

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Promenaid Handrails

Location: Julius Ballroom — Booth 833J

Sprocketlock Pro Handrail System

What’s New:
Promenaid is introducing Sprocketlock Pro at CinemaCon, an enhanced version of its modular handrail system designed for higher load-bearing applications.

What It Is:
Sprocketlock Pro builds on Promenaid’s prefabricated handrail platform, using reinforced components to support use in high-demand areas such as auditorium aisles, guardrails in front of tiered seating, and elevated spaces within entertainment venues.

The system is designed to assemble from modular parts without the need for on-site welding or finishing, allowing it to adapt to existing structures and installation conditions.

Why It Matters:
As cinemas renovate auditoriums or introduce new seating and layout configurations, structural elements such as handrails must meet both safety requirements and installation constraints. Systems that can be installed quickly and adjusted on-site can help reduce project complexity, particularly in retrofit scenarios.

By combining modular construction with higher load capacity, solutions like Sprocketlock Pro are positioned to support safety and compliance while simplifying the installation process for contractors and operators.

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Telescopic Seating Systems

Location: Julius Ballroom — Booth 1015J

ROAR – Recliner-On-A-Riser & Knee Wall System

What’s New:
Telescopic Seating Systems (TSS) is showcasing its ROAR (Recliner-On-A-Riser) system, an integrated approach to auditorium retrofits designed to simplify installation and reduce renovation timelines.

What It Is:
ROAR combines recliner seating, riser structures, and knee wall systems into a single, factory-built solution for stadium-seating auditoriums. By consolidating multiple construction elements into one system, it reduces the number of trades required on-site and streamlines the retrofit process.

The platform is designed to accommodate a range of riser heights and can be deployed with pre-engineered components to support faster installation. Operational features include open-under-seat construction for easier access and cleaning, along with integrated lighting and system tracking designed to support maintenance workflows.

Why It Matters:
Auditorium renovations can be complex, time-consuming, and costly, particularly when multiple contractors and construction phases are involved. Integrated systems that reduce installation complexity and downtime can help exhibitors complete upgrades more quickly while minimizing disruption to operations.

With countless cinema operators continuing to transition to recliner seating, solutions that simplify retrofits — while maintaining flexibility across different auditorium configurations — are becoming increasingly relevant.

Explore more in the 2026 CinemaCon Product Preview series on Celluloid Junkie.

The post CinemaCon 2026 Product Preview: Seating & Auditorium Design appeared first on Celluloid Junkie.