Film exhibitor

The theatrical chain has three roles. The producer makes the film. The distributor licenses it and markets it. The exhibitor shows it, sells the tickets and keeps a share. Box Office Mojo's glossary uses "exhibitor" and "movie theater" interchangeably, and notes that a distributor on average receives a little more than half of a film's gross, with the rest going to the exhibitor.

A group of cinemas under one owner is a circuit. Bookers describe a circuit as a chain of theaters usually programmed by one contact, which is why a circuit buyer's call carries more weight than a single site's. The largest circuits are listed in our research on cinema chains.

Two revenue lines carry an exhibitor. Ticket income is shared with the distributor through film rental. Concessions, advertising and venue hire are kept in full, which is why spend per head often decides the year. Our guide to how movie theaters make money breaks the lines down.

Exhibitors are represented by trade bodies, nationally and internationally. In the US that is Cinema United, formerly the National Association of Theatre Owners. Our list of cinema trade associations covers the rest. The software that runs exhibition, from box office to settlement, is described on the cinema management software page.