Regal Cinemas, IFTA, CNC Launch Pilot to Test Whether Smarter Programming Can Reverse Falling Theater Admissions
Regal Cinemas, the Independent Film & Television Alliance (IFTA) and France's CNC have launched the Future of Distribution pilot, an international scheme to hand under-used cinema screens to a neutral programmer in an attempt to boost falling theatre attendance. Announced on Monday at the Lumière Summit in Saint-Paul-de-Vence, France, the initiative reflects a sharp decline in the sector: North American admissions fell to roughly 770 million in 2025, down about 37% from 2019, even as screen numbers stayed largely constant and occupancy hovered at just 11-15%. Organisers argue the problem is a mismatch between films, venues and showtimes rather than a lack of audience demand.
Under the pilot, participating cinemas will voluntarily offer a set number of idle screens and timeslots to an independent programmer tasked purely with maximising attendance, covering wide releases, documentaries, repertory titles and special events without deference to studio or circuit priorities. Five guiding principles underpin the scheme: opt-in participation, preservation of existing release windows, independent time-limited oversight, use of only otherwise-dark capacity, and shared results across all participants. The pilot begins in selected markets in the fourth quarter of 2026, with an initial findings report due in the first half of 2027.
In short
- New pilot tests smarter cinema programming to boost falling attendance.
- Regal, IFTA and CNC launch scheme using under-used screens.
- Trial starts Q4 2026; first results expected in H1 2027.
Steelman: both sides, in good faith
The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
A neutral programmer could match films and showtimes more closely to local audiences, making better use of screens that would otherwise sit idle. Because cinemas opt in, existing release windows remain intact and results are shared, the pilot offers a limited way to test whether more flexible programming can lift attendance without displacing current bookings.
The case against
Low occupancy may reflect wider changes in viewing habits and the appeal of cinema releases, rather than a mismatch that programming alone can fix. Giving an outside programmer control of selected slots could also add coordination costs and complicate cinemas’ relationships with distributors; a limited pilot may produce results that are hard to generalise across markets.
Explained simply
Cinemas depend on ticket sales, but many showings have empty seats. A film’s release schedule and the times it is shown can affect whether people choose to go, so the same screen may be busy at one time and under-used at another.
Regal Cinemas is a major cinema chain, IFTA represents independent film and television distributors, and CNC is France’s national film agency. Their pilot concerns how to use screens and times when cinemas would otherwise be closed or have no film scheduled, while leaving existing release arrangements in place.
The scheme matters because cinema admissions have fallen while the number of screens has stayed broadly similar. Its organisers are testing whether a neutral programmer, choosing films and events to suit local audiences, can bring more people into cinemas.
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