UK cinema group appoints agency to get 'bums on seats'

Cinema First, the cross-industry body charged with the promotion and development of cinema going in the UK is planning a major advertising and marketing campaign to bring the crowds back to the movies.

Independent agency Unbound has been appointed to the brief following a three-way pitch that ran throughout May and June. There was no incumbent agency.

Unbound, which counts Mondelez and HSBC Innovation Banking among its clients, will be responsible for both the creative and production of the integrated campaign, which will also include a 60” film.

UK cinema viewing has been significantly affected by the rise of home streaming, with the scale and convenience reshaping audience expectations around immediacy, choice and the availability of premium content at home.

Increased flexibility around release windows has blurred traditional theatrical exclusivity, and prestige TV continues to attract budgets and talent comparable to major films.

However, despite these issues, UK box office revenue reached £990m in 2025, a material improvement on prior years, though still approximately 20.9% below the £1.25bn generated in 2019. Whether this summer’s blockbusters, including Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey (pictured), will improve attendance remains to be seen.

Cinema First director of marketing and partnerships Sharon Reid said: “we are delighted to be working with Unbound on this important sector campaign, which is around supporting local cinemas and encouraging people to experience the magic within.”

Unbound managing director Charlie Griffith added: “The magic of cinema is a near indescribable feeling. An experience like no other. Our intention is to reignite peoples’ passion for film and the cinemagoing experience, and ultimately to get multiple bums back on seats by showing the country why this is the case.”