Rethinking the Cinema Experience with a Digital Signage Network

September 27, 2017Michelle Huang

In today’s Netflix age, movies are easily accessed from the comfort of our own couches or even our beds. Yet even with this convenience, there is still an active audience that prefers heading to the theatre.
But why? What keeps them coming back time and time again?

It’s all in the experience. People go to movie theatres to enjoy the feature film but it’s much more than that. Cinemas offer an ambiance and atmosphere that simply cannot be recreated at home.
Even so, cinema attendance today isn’t as high as it was during the cinema heydays. To truly attract an audience, cinemas must ensure that the magic of the movies is felt from the moment they enter the box office until the rolling credits.

As a matter of fact, people spend around 15 minutes in the cinema lobby before the film. This is the ideal moment to entertain the audience and increase anticipation for the movie-world they are about to enter.  Not to mention, it’s an opportunity for cinemas to generate more revenue by promoting concession sales and partner advertisements.

So, how exactly can your cinema achieve the goals and results above?

Augment the Movie-Goer Experience

To turn the cinema outing into a true adventure, it’s important to deliver a great experience at every touchpoint with the customer.
Using a digital signage network makes it easy to create an engaging environment through interactive features. Fun social media campaigns, creative mobile integration, and enticing touch screen activities are just a few examples of how cinemas can augment the movie-goer experience.


With the help of digital signage, you can create memorable movie experiences and the option of streaming a movie on the couch pales in comparison.

Inform Customers

The box office is the first thing customers see when they enter your cinema. It’s important to make sure the experience is as smooth as possible, especially on busy opening nights.

By opting for digital signage, important information including showtimes, movie details and age ratings can be clearly displayed. Screens in the lobby can also be used to show theatre numbers and help with general wayfinding.

Going digital also gives you more flexibility with signage. Is one movie performing better than another? Easily change the order in which posters appear. Have a special event coming up? Create a one-minute takeover of every movie theater lobby display to encourage attendance.

Digital signage helps you delight your attendees and keep them in the loop about upcoming movies to encourage a future visit.

Increase Concession Sales

Concession stands are where cinemas turn a profit. The good news is that around 78% of cinema lobby activities are concession purchases. This means that customers are definitely in a purchasing state of mind.

Digital menu boards bring concession goods to your consumers’ attention and can produce a 10-50% increase in sales. They are easy to manage and menu items can display differently based on time of day, the day of the week and more.

Gain Alternative Sources of Revenue

A digital signage network creates the opportunity for extra revenue. Unlike a static poster, space can easily be shared between various external advertisement and your cinema’s own content when using a digital signage network.

Pre-movie in-theatre content is also an interesting opportunity for advertisers. The audience is easily segmented by demographic, as different movies can attract different types of people. As they wait for the movie to begin, the audience has little else to do, which means they will be very captive when the ad is playing.

Now, let the digital signage credits roll!

Automation, digital interaction, and slick displays don’t only belong in sci-fi flicks but are real-life experiences for film-goers. With digital signage, your cinema can go above and beyond the status quo.