The event kicked off with a dynamic set of business sessions powered by The Boxoffice Company, opening with a presentation by the CNC (French Film Fund) sharing key findings from an in-depth analysis of 14 global markets, exploring how cinema-going, audience behaviour and exhibitor strategies are evolving worldwide. This was followed by "Best in Class: Lessons from Around the World," a panel bringing together voices from Australasia, Latin America, India and Africa to share innovations driving audience engagement and growth. Attendees then heard a keynote exploring the impact of artificial intelligence (AI) on cinemas and the wider industry. A special anniversary roundtable "35 Years of CineEurope: Then and Now" then reflected on how cinema exhibition has adapted, innovated and endured over three and a half decades. The official welcome was given by UNIC (find the full press release here and speech here).
The Coca-Cola seminars once again provided valuable insights and inspiration. Tuesday's Retail Seminar "Inside the Gen Z Mindset: Cracking this Generation's Consumer Code" explored why cinema still matters in the TikTok era and where the biggest opportunities lie for operators to win younger audiences' loyalty. On Wednesday, the Inspiration Seminar "Experience Innovators: Frictionless and Beyond" drew lessons from the world of sports and hospitality catering, with Harry Ridley of Levy sharing an unfiltered look at experience-led technology — and what cinema operators can learn from some of Europe's most iconic live venues.
The opening party on the Trade Show floor set a lively tone for the event, as it once again played a major role bringing together an impressive range of companies showcasing the latest products and services. On Tuesday, the ICTA sessions on the trade fair floor tackled two forward-looking themes: "Live & Direct: How Event Cinema, Live Experiences & Streaming Technology Are Set to Transform Cinema-Going" and "The Invisible Usher: How Agentic AI Is Rewriting the Path to Purchase," which posed the provocative question of whether cinemas are ready for customers who never visit their website. On Wednesday, UNIC-led Focus Sessions addressed two of the sector's most pressing priorities. "Audience Engagement Across Europe: What Really Works?" drew on practical case studies from operators of all sizes, from collaboration with local schools to seniors’ screenings and digital community-building. The UNIC People Programme session on Diversity and Inclusion made the commercial case for representative workforces, with contributions from Vue International, Toyota, ODEON Cinemas Group and Barco Cinema.
CineEurope wouldn't be CineEurope without its studio presentations, and 2026 delivered a stellar line-up. Attendees enjoyed exclusive previews from 11 studios, including Angel Studios, Lionsgate, Sony Pictures Releasing International, STUDIOCANAL, Warner Bros. Pictures International, Paramount Pictures International, The Walt Disney Studios, alongside newcomers Amazon MGM Studios, MUBI and LAIKA. Universal Pictures closed out the convention with a special presentation and screening of Forgotten Island. The previous evening saw the screening of One Night Only at Cinesa Diagonal Mar.
For UNIC, CineEurope 2026 also marked several important milestones. UNIC released its latest Annual Report (available here) and was proud to launch the tenth edition of its Women's Cinema Leadership Programme, which now brings together 212 women from 119 companies across the international cinema sector. UNIC also announced the election of its new Board of Directors, with Jaime Tarrazón of the Federación de Cines de España (FECE) taking over as President of UNIC (find the full announcement here).
UNIC was also delighted to celebrate excellence across the sector. Together with Boxoffice Pro, UNIC was proud to present the fifth edition of the Giants of Exhibition: Europe ranking, recognising Europe's Top 50 cinema groups by screen count. This year's list is led by ODEON Cinemas Group, with Cineworld Group, Vue International, Pathé and CGR Cinémas rounding out the top five. For the second consecutive year, Cineville of France claimed the Fastest Moving Giant Award, while The Arc Cinema of Ireland took home the Breakthrough Giant Award. The companies featured represent more than 18,600 screens across over 2,300 cinema sites, headquartered in 20 countries and operating in 38 European territories.
The Awards Ceremonies recognised outstanding achievements with honours including the UNIC Achievement Award for outgoing UNIC President Phil Clapp, the Rentrak European Box Office Achievement Award for Walt Disney Studios' Avatar: Fire & Ash, and Gold Awards presented to exceptional individuals from across the region. The Distinguished Career Award was presented by Juan Antonio Gomez of ODEON to Roger Harris of Unique X, the International Exhibitor of the Year Award went to Multiplex Ukraine, accepted by CEO Roman Romanchuk, and the International Distributor of the Year Award was presented to Jeff Goldstein of Warner Bros. The UNIC/Coca-Cola Retail Awards celebrated the very best in cinema retailing, with honours going to Kinopolis Germany and Omniplex Cinemas Ireland.
We hope you enjoyed the 35th convention as much as we did, and we cannot wait to see you at CineEurope 2027, scheduled for June 21-24. Save the date!