Running June 16-19 in Barcelona, this year’s CineEurope trade show reflects an industry in flux.
Last year was both a marvelous and maddening time for the European exhibition sector, as continental productions like “The Count of Monte Cristo” and “Flow” buoyed an international box office otherwise hampered by post-strike disruptions in the studio supply chain. Still, even factoring in territories able to fill such gaps with robust domestic output, Europe’s ongoing, post-pandemic recovery saw an overall lull — prompting CineEurope organizers to plan this year’s expo with a greater degree of introspection.
“Cinemas have always had to work hard, but they now have to work harder than ever to bring in audiences,” says Phil Clapp, president of the Intl. Union of Cinemas (UNIC), which runs the event alongside the Film Expo Group. “Film is now part of a larger continuum, so what’s our unique role? How do we reinforce the value of the big screen?”
Anticipating 3,200 participants — among them several new delegates from territories across West and North Africa, and the Middle East — the organizers see their event’s international character as a unique advantage.
“Unlike attendees of [the U.S.-based] CinemaCon, European suppliers rarely cater to just one national market,” Clapp explains. “That’s why we’ve designed CineEurope as a platform, bringing our focus sessions right onto the trade show floor to create a more direct link between discussion and innovation. While maintaining our European focus, we also recognize the value of learning from others by opening a global dialogue. The trade floor must also share ideas.”
In that spirit, organizers have invited Allied Global Marketing strategist Adam Cunningham to deliver a keynote on keeping the theatrical experience emotionally and culturally relevant. “We’ve almost always featured industry insiders,” Clapp says. “But Adam brings the outsider voice of a critical friend — someone who can ask: Why should I spend two and a half hours disconnected from everything else? And what are cinema operators doing to make that time feel worthwhile?”
Of course, this year’s exchange of ideas will also include many practical tools, with presentations detailing the use of AI in daily operations, alongside strategies for recruitment and green energy efficiencies, while respective exhibition and distribution honors for France’s Pathé and Germany’s Leonine Studios draw case studies from recent successes.
Newly absorbed into the Gallic powerhouse Mediawan, “School of Magical Animals 3” distributor Leonine Studios has kept local productions front-and-center, co-producing and releasing Germany’s top-domestic grosser for the fifth consecutive year. Meanwhile, the even-more vertically integrated Pathé has matched box office prosperity with upmarket renewal, producing, releasing and then exalting titles like “The Count of Monte Cristo” in a growing roster of luxury screens meant to keep theatrical outings memorable.
“Pathé really exemplifies what can be achieved by producing high-quality content while offering a premium experience,” says UNIC CEO Laura Houlgatte Abbott, pointing towards the company’s Renzo Piano-designed flagship Pathé Palace, opened in the heart of Paris last year. “That combination has clearly resonated with audiences, who appreciate improvements in the cinema experience.”
Alongside film slate presentations from Sony, Disney, Warner Bros. Discovery, Paramount and Universal, upstart indie Angel Studios will be on-hand to claim this year’s Breakthrough Distributor accolade as the faith-based outfit looks to make inroads into the European market.
“Angel’s potential is clearly there,” says Houlgatte Abbott. “They’re beginning to make distribution deals in several territories, and this award is partly to signal that we’re watching their progress. It’s time to welcome new players into the fold.”
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