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Showtime planner for cinemas
How many shows fit between your first and last start, what rounding to the quarter hour costs you, and whether your evening lands where other cinemas put theirs. Enter your running times; the planner does the arithmetic and shows the comparison with real scheduling data.
The day
Films
Films on the same screen take turns in the order listed. Leave a title empty to skip it.
Result
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Runs entirely in your browser. Nothing you type is sent anywhere. Benchmark: cinema scheduling benchmarks.
Everything here runs in your own browser. No values are sent to us, nothing is stored, and there is no sign-up.
Why changeover and rounding matter more than they look
On a single screen, a 20-minute changeover and a habit of rounding every start up to the half hour can cost a whole show on a long day. That lost show is usually the late-afternoon one — the 16:00 slot that our scheduling benchmarks show is the second-busiest hour of the week.
The trade-off is real in both directions. Round, memorable times are easier for an audience, and a changeover that is too tight produces a dirty auditorium and a late start. Try both here before deciding.
What it does not know
It does not know your booking terms, which may require a minimum number of shows or particular times, or your holdover obligations, or staff availability. It is a first draft of the day, not the schedule. A full planning tool — with the week across every screen and one-step publishing to your website and app — is what the Filmgrail planning tool is for.
Frequently asked questions
How long should the changeover between cinema shows be?
Long enough to empty, clean and reopen the auditorium — commonly 15 to 30 minutes, longer for large rooms or recliners with food service. Use the planner to see how many shows each changeover length costs you.
How long is the pre-show before a film?
It varies by cinema and circuit, commonly 10 to 25 minutes of adverts and trailers. Enter your own figure so end times are right.
What time should a cinema start its evening show?
In our sample of 140 independent cinemas, 19:00–19:59 was the busiest start hour, carrying about a fifth of all shows in the week.
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