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Holdover: keeping a film for another week
A holdover is a film that stays on screen for another week. A holdover clause obliges the cinema to keep it if the weekend gross clears an agreed figure.
Also written: holdover figure · hold · holdover clause
The holdover figure
Many bookings carry a holdover figure: a weekend or weekly gross above which the cinema must keep the film for another week. It protects the distributor from a cinema dropping a film that is still working in order to make room for something newer.
Below the figure the cinema is free to drop the film or move it to fewer shows. Above it, the screen is spoken for — which is exactly when the cinema would most like to have it back.
Where it bites
The collision happens on Monday morning. A film has had a strong second weekend, cleared its holdover figure, and now occupies a screen that the programmer had pencilled in for a Friday opening. Somebody loses a screen, or a set of good time slots, and the decision has to be made before the new week's times go on the website.
This is the most common reason a cinema's listings are not ready early in the week — and why programming tools that show holdover exposure alongside the draft schedule are worth more than they look. See film programming.
Frequently asked questions
What does holdover mean in movie theaters?
A film that is kept for another week. A holdover clause in the booking requires the cinema to keep it if its gross clears an agreed holdover figure.
Who decides whether a film is held over?
The cinema, within the terms of the booking. If the film clears the holdover figure, the distributor can require it to stay.
Why are cinema times for next week published late?
Often because holdover decisions depend on the weekend's grosses, which are not known until Sunday night or Monday.
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