UNIC President Jaime Tarrazón attended on behalf of the association, alongside key members from across the exhibition community. Together, exhibitors participating in the Summit represented around 80% of global cinema admissions.
The Summit culminated in the adoption of the Lumière Declaration, a shared set of principles signed by UNIC alongside states, companies, creators and institutions from across the world. The Declaration reaffirms the enduring value of the theatrical experience, recognising cinema's unique ability to turn creative works into collective experiences that generate cultural, social and economic value. As the Declaration puts it "We reaffirm the enduring value of the theatrical experience. Cinema offers a unique way of turning a creative work into a collective experience, creating a sense of occasion that helps to build community, as well as cultural and economic value. Sustaining theatrical exhibition is a shared interest across the sector. Diversity needs cinemas in order to thrive; cinemas need diversity in order to fulfil their cultural, economic and social role."
Among the Summit's sessions, the panel on theatrical exclusivity struck a particular chord for exhibitors. As the panel description put it: “After years of pressure for ever-shorter windows, theatrical exclusivity is regaining ground as a powerful driver of attention, cultural impact and long-term value. A cinema release does more than generate box office: it turns a work into an event, builds visibility and strengthens its trajectory across subsequent windows.”
Panellists included:
- Laure de Boissard, CEO, Pathé Cinemas
- Alejandro Ramírez Magaña, CEO, Cinépolis
- Eduardo Acuna, CEO, Regal Entertainment Group
- Jane Hastings, CEO, EVT
- Hiro Matsuoka, President and CEO, Toho Co., Ltd
- Eddy Duquenne, CEO, Kinepolis
- Tim Richards, Founder and CEO, Vue
All agreed that a thriving theatrical window is not a constraint on the wider ecosystem, but the foundation of it.
Reflecting on the Summit, Jaime Tarrazón, President of UNIC, added: “I was proud to represent UNIC at the Summit. The Declaration rightly recognises that sustaining theatrical exhibition is a shared interest across our industry. That message came through strongly, not least during the discussion on theatrical exclusivity, where voices from across the sector made a compelling case for the unique value of cinemas and the Big Screen experience. It was great to see so many key figures come together for open and constructive discussions about the opportunities and challenges ahead.”
The Lumière Declaration also highlights the importance of diversity of works, discoverability, investment in new talent, image education and the protection of intellectual property, while recognising cinemas as a privileged space in which audiences can encounter ambitious works and share the experience of watching together.