Industry
The Split With A Cinema Changes Every Week Of A Run
Distributors and exhibitors divide ticket revenue on terms that shift as a film ages, which explains booking decisions, screen counts and how quickly titles disappear.
A cinema does not simply keep the money from tickets it sells. Revenue is split with the distributor on terms that change as a film moves through its run.
The split usually starts steep
In the opening week the distributor takes the larger share, on the reasoning that the audience is arriving for that specific title rather than for the venue.
As weeks pass, the share moves towards the exhibitor. A film still playing in its fifth week is understood to be drawing on the cinema's own custom.
The declining scale gives both parties an incentive to keep a title playing, since the cinema's position improves precisely when attendance is falling.
Terms are negotiated, not fixed
Splits vary by film, by chain and by territory, and a title expected to be in demand is booked on harder terms than one that needs help finding an audience.
Commitments about how many screens a film receives and for how long are often part of the same negotiation, which is why a title can be difficult to find in week three.
Smaller distributors have less leverage, so an independent film may accept a shorter guaranteed run in exchange for playing at all.
This is why the counter matters so much
Concession sales are not shared, so the margin a cinema keeps on food and drink is far more reliable than the margin on the ticket.
That shapes the building: circulation is designed to route audiences past the counter, and screening times are staggered so queues do not collide.
It also shapes programming. A film that brings a large group with time before the screening is more valuable than the ticket price alone suggests.
Screens are allocated dynamically
A multiplex reassigns screens week to week, moving a fading title to a smaller room and giving the larger one to a new release.
Show counts change daily as well, which is why a film can appear to vanish while technically remaining on release somewhere in the building.
These decisions are made against forecasts of what each showing will earn, so a title with weak weekday attendance loses slots even if weekends hold up.
The exclusive window is part of the bargain
Exhibitors have historically required a period during which a film plays only in cinemas, since their share depends on being the sole place to watch it.
That period has shortened considerably, and it is now negotiated title by title rather than fixed across the market.
Where a shorter window is agreed, the split terms often move in the exhibitor's favour to compensate, which is another reason the arithmetic differs from film to film.
Questions readers ask
Does the casting director choose the cast?
They assemble and narrow the options and advocate strongly, but the final decision normally sits with the director and, for significant roles, with financiers.
Why are self-taped auditions controversial?
They widen access and remove travel cost, but they shift unpaid preparation onto performers and remove the direct redirection that tells a casting director the most.
