Case Study
01. Background
Kinepolis Group operates 110 cinemas with 1,144 screens and over 200,000 seats across Europe and North America. This portfolio grew significantly following acquisitions such as Landmark Cinemas (Canada) and MJR Theatres (USA), leading to complex operational structures. Multiple TMS setups, a lack of standardized workflows, and scattered data sources made it difficult to implement centralized planning or pivot quickly during peak periods.
The business case was clear: a future-proof, unified cloud-based TMS that could reduce errors, optimize labor, and harmonize scheduling and content management processes was urgently needed.
Table of Contents
- Background
- Challenges & Goals
- Baseline: Pre-OneCinema Workflow for Preshow Management
- The OneCinema Solution
- Implementation & Rollout
- Results
- Conclusion
02. Challenges & Goals
2.1 Challenges
- Decentralized systems: Multiple TMS solutions across different regions, each with unique configurations.
- Labor-Intensive Workflows: The same work had to be repeated multiple times in different departments, using various tools and platforms; manual show creation, trailer scheduling, and KDM checks led to high overhead.
- Integration Complexity: Distinct local network infrastructures, diverse screen servers, multiple advertising providers.
- Error Susceptibility: No unified mechanism to verify whether correct trailers were attached or that all required DCP/KDM files were in place.
- Time-Critical Changes: Lack of real-time updates made last-minute schedule optimizations difficult.
2.2 To meet these challenges
OneCinema was selected to deploy its cloud-based TMS across Kinepolis’s cinema network. OneCinema collaborated closely with various Kinepolis teams, including Booking, POS/Ticketing (Vista), Content, IT & Network, and Projection & Sound, to thoroughly understand current processes and identify optimal workflows. While the core system already met Kinepolis key operational requirements, OneCinema also developed tailored adaptations to further align with Kinepolis specific needs and optimize integration into their existing infrastructure.
2.3 Goals
- Centralization & Consolidated Architecture: Migrate from fragmented solutions to a single, centrally managed, yet locally adaptable cloud-based platform and deeper API integration between data sources.
- Workflow Automation: Eliminate repetitive tasks – such as playlist creation, trailer assignment, proof-of-play checks, and content distribution.
- Reliable Systems & Error Reductions: Guarantee valid DCP/KDM files are available for each screening, lower risk of canceled shows.
- Energy & Cost Savings: Use automation to minimize hardware uptime and storage load, eliminate tedious manual processes, reduce travel for support teams.
- Scalable & Future-Proof: Support smooth rollouts in new or acquired territories, avoiding repeated migrations or custom integrations.
03. Baseline: Pre-OneCinema Workflow for Preshow Management
Before adopting OneCinema, Kinepolis relied on separate systems and manual efforts for nearly every aspect of preshow and show management:
3.1 Complex Communication
- Identical work had to be repeated multiple times in different departments, using various disconnected tools and platforms.
- Back-and-forth between central departments and local cinema teams. This often involved phone calls, emails, or even sending updated spreadsheets multiple times a week.
3.2 Manual Show Creation
- Each cinema site manually built its shows based on data that arrived via email attachments or spreadsheets from booking, marketing, and advertising teams.
- Projectionists had to match the POS schedule with predefined templates (Flat, Scope, 3D) and manually insert trailers, ads, and other preshow elements. Often, they started by copying a template from a previous show and then updated it clip by clip.
- Last-minute changes – such as swapping a trailer, adjusting lengths, or inserting new ads – were extremely time-consuming and prone to oversight (e.g. missing critical clips or using outdated versions).
3.3 Limited Proof of Play & Verification
- The systems in place for verifying whether preshow content actually played or was shown to the desired audience where complex and time consuming.
- Marketing and content teams had to trust local updates or anecdotal feedback to confirm that a trailer received the correct exposure.
3.4 Heavy Workload & Errors
- The reliance on human input introduced an elevated risk of missing files, incorrect versions, or out-of-sync KDMs.
- Projectionists frequently spent at least one entire day per week and site assembling or updating shows – time that could have been spent on more strategic tasks like equipment maintenance or proactive troubleshooting.
Because each site was effectively operating within its own localized ecosystem, the company struggled to consolidate data, enforce consistent standards, or leverage comprehensive automation.
04. The OneCinema Solution
OneCinema delivered a cloud-based TMS designed to centralize and automate Kinepolis’ previously disjointed workflows. Below are the core elements that transformed Kinepolis’ operations:
4.1 Central Management with Local Adaptation
- Unified TMS Architecture: OneCinema provides a single platform that spans all Kinepolis locations yet remains configurable by country or region.
- Delegated Responsibilities: While the TMS can be centrally controlled, Kinepolis opted to keep everyday operations at a country level, granting local teams flexibility to maintain regional adaptability.
- Win-Win Restructuring: Operational efficiencies have freed up cinema operators’ time, allowing them to support the central technical team for maintenance and interventions. Centralized support teams are organized per region, monitoring not just one but all the sites of the region, checking notifications like KDM’s or content missing and proactively monitoring the screens. This has created a win-win scenario for Kinepolis: local teams gain more engagement and job satisfaction, while the central technical team benefits from reduced travel and streamlined operations.
4.2 Automated Preshow Management & Predefined Exposure Targets
- Comprehensive Data Integration: OneCinema automatically retrieves POS schedules from Vista, links them with Kinepolis’s marketing and trailer DCP databases, and communicates directly with third-party advertising platforms.
- Fully Automated Playlist Creation: OneCinema autonomously generates SPLs (Show Play Lists) directly on cinema screen servers.
- Rule-Based Trailering: Preshow managers can define criteria – such as age ratings, movie genre, showtime range, or geographic location. The system uses these rules to implement the correct trailers, ads, and interstitials into a SPL without requiring manual edits.
- Advanced Target Trailering: Kinepolis’ booking teams can specify how many visitors must see a particular trailer by a certain date, in a specific location or region (e.g., 10,000 viewers until the premiere of a movie). Overnight, the TMS reads out the prior day’s ticket sales and then recalculates the preshows and adjusts trailer placements across all scheduled shows. It autonomously rewrites all SPLs, ensuring that the predefined exposure targets are met as precisely as possible – without any manual work.
- Proof of Play & Logging: Real-time analytics confirm which trailers or ads have played, enabling accurate reporting back to central marketing teams or external advertising partners.
4.3 Content Lifecycle: Automated Content Distribution, Archiving, and Screen Server Cleanup
- Automated Content Distribution & Ingest: Once a show is scheduled, OneCinema scans all connected content sources (local and cloud-based) for required DCP files and distributes them to the relevant sites and screen servers – no staff intervention needed.
- Archiving & Cleanup on Screen Servers: Expired or unused content is automatically removed from screen servers, preventing clutter and reducing storage load. Rules are setup so that any content not needed in the next three days (or more depending on server capacity) is auto-deleted from the screen servers – after a central backup has been created. As a result, Kinepolis reduced screen server storage usage from approximately 80% to 50%, effectively postponing costly hardware upgrades.
- Priority-Based Distribution: High-priority last-minute content gets copied first, even pausing or canceling ongoing lower-priority processes, to ensure late content arrives on time.
4.4 Fallback Mechanisms & Error Reduction
- 24-Hour Check: The TMS verifies that the correct DCP and a valid KDM are available in each auditorium a full day before a scheduled screening.
- Automatic Version Substitution: If the preferred version of a DCP or KDM is missing or invalid, OneCinema automatically searches the best available, playable alternative that aligns with the technical capabilities of the room – greatly minimizing show cancellations.
- Multi-Format Optimization: Particularly useful for blockbusters with multiple formats (2D, 3D, various aspect ratios, brightness levels). The TMS picks the ideal version (Flat, Scope, or highest foot-lambert rating) to match each projector’s capabilities. Ensuring a premium visual experience while eliminating the operational challenges of technically demanding titles like Avatar 2.
4.5 Hardware Automation & Energy Savings
- Scheduled Power Management: Screens are powered on and off based on the POS schedule, removing the need for staff to manually manage hardware before and after showtimes.
- Extended Equipment Lifespan: Reduced hours of operation lessen wear and tear, especially saving on lamp replacements.
- Lower Operational Costs & Reduced Workload: Less energy consumption and fewer on-site interventions translate into notable savings, especially across large networks like Kinepolis. Worktime is reduced and the system makes sure hardware is ready for screenings taking workload from staff.
4.6 User & Rights Management
- Azure Active Directory Integration: Centralized user authentication, seamlessly integrated with Kinepolis’ existing IT infrastructure.
- Single Sign-On (SSO) via OpenID Connect: Staff across all regions securely access OneCinema without juggling multiple credentials.
- Flexible Access-Level Controls: Precisely defined admin, projectionist, and manager roles minimize security risks and clarify user responsibilities.
05. Implementation & Rollout
5.1 Phased European Rollout
- 2021: Pilot launch in Switzerland and Luxembourg (starting June).
- 2022: The Netherlands (September), Belgium (October).
- 2023: France and Spain (March to June).
- 2024: Completion of rollout in Spain (January/February).
The staggered timeline allowed OneCinema’s deployment to coincide with network infrastructure upgrades already scheduled independently, ensuring thorough onboarding of local and country-level teams before the next rollout phase.
5.2 Extension to Landmark Cinemas (Canada)
Following the success of OneCinema’s European rollout, Kinepolis decided in 2024 to extend the solution to Landmark Cinemas – Canada’s second-largest cinema operator, boasting 36 locations and 302 screens. The rollout began in Fall 2024 with an initial transition of five cinemas, encompassing local requirements like third-party advertising automation.
One of Landmark’s most popular audience-engagement features is “Shout Out,” which allows guests to upload personalized video messages – ranging from birthday greetings to marriage proposals – for display on the big screen. Because it is such a major draw for customers, handling each clip (review, approval, and scheduling) used to be time-intensive. Through a dedicated API integration between Landmark’s Shout Out booking system and OneCinema, the TMS now automatically retrieves approved clips and seamlessly embeds them into the preshow for the corresponding screening. This streamlined approach greatly reduces the manual workload and delivers a more personalized experience to audiences.
By late 2025 and extending into early 2026, all remaining Landmark Cinemas across Canada will be fully transitioned to OneCinema, following a rollout strategy similar to Europe’s phased approach.
06. Results
Nicolas Hamon, Project Lead and Global Head of the Projection & Sound Technology at Kinepolis Group, states:
“With OneCinema, we’ve streamlined our complex technical infrastructure and dramatically improved our operational workflows – unlocking significant savings in both labor and energy. One of the standout features is the automated playlist creation, which saves at least one full man-day per week per site and minimizes the risk of human error. And that’s just one example of how OneCinema is driving measurable impact across our operations. The system runs with impressive reliability and requires very little manual intervention. When support is needed, OneCinema’s team responds quickly and effectively. By automating time-consuming tasks, we’ve not only lowered our labor costs but also freed up our teams to focus on higher-value work. On top of that, OneCinema continues to innovate and evolve its platform, helping us stay ahead of the curve in cinema technology.”
🚀 Key Highlights
- Significant Labor Savings: Automated playlist creation and preshow scheduling alone save each Kinepolis site one full day of manual work per week.
- Reduced Technical & Operational Costs: Lower screen server loads (from ~80% to ~50%) and automated hardware control have postponed expensive upgrades and cut energy use.
- Error Prevention & Reliability: Fallback mechanisms, content lifecycle automation, and continuous proof-of-play checks minimize canceled shows.
- Centralized Workflow Automation: Once the POS schedule is imported into the TMS, Marketing, Ad and Trailer teams can simply specify which spots and trailers they want to promote, with the TMS handling all subsequent processes like content distribution, playlist creation, cleanup and proof-of-play automatically.
- Positive Employee Impact: Less time spent on repetitive tasks allows teams to focus on technical maintenance and strategic planning, boosting overall staff satisfaction.
- Scalable & Adaptable System: Successful rollouts in 7 countries demonstrate OneCinema’s flexibility for various infrastructures and local requirements.
07. Conclusion
OneCinema’s cloud-based TMS has allowed Kinepolis to unify once-disparate processes, enabling both centralized oversight and local flexibility. By automating content distribution, trailer scheduling, and hardware management, Kinepolis significantly lowered labor costs, reduced energy consumption, and minimized errors.
With successful implementations in Europe and an ongoing rollout in Canada, OneCinema is poised to remain a cornerstone of Kinepolis’ future growth – continuously evolving alongside new market demands while offering a flexible, user-friendly platform for cinema operations that enables high-quality cinema experiences for the audience.