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Regal Cinemas and the Independent Film & Television Alliance (IFTA), together with the CNC, launched the Future of Distribution pilot on Monday at the Lumière Summit in Saint-Paul-de-Vence, France, – a new international
initiative that will hand under-used cinema screens to a neutral programmer in a bid to reverse falling theater attendance.
The pilot gets underway across a set of chosen markets in the fourth quarter of this year, with an initial findings report scheduled for the first half of 2027.
Under the model, participating venues make a defined number of idle screens and timeslots available to a neutral programmer whose sole brief is to drive the highest possible attendance. The programmer works across everything from wide releases and documentaries to repertory titles and special events, with no obligation to studio relationships or circuit priorities.
The context is stark. North American theater admissions totaled roughly 770 million in 2025, down about 37% from 2019, while the number of screens held roughly steady. Occupancy across the sector runs at 11 to 15%. The pilot frames the challenge as a mismatch between films, venues and showtimes rather than any shortage of audience.
Five principles govern participation: cinemas join on an opt-in basis; existing windows and release schedules are left intact; the oversight structure is independent and runs for a fixed period; the initiative uses only capacity that would otherwise go dark; and all participating venues receive the results to inform collective learning.
The aim is to establish whether programming innovation alone – without new films, new screens or new subsidies – can produce a measurable increase in admissions without disrupting existing distribution arrangements.
