The event kicked off with a dynamic set of business sessions presented by The Boxoffice Company, starting with a “Spotlight on Sweden” session exploring trends, challenges and opportunities in this key European territory. This was followed by “From Scroll to Screen,” a forward-looking panel on how social media buzz is driving box office attendance. A thought-provoking “Executive Roundtable” then brought together leading voices from exhibition and distribution to discuss the keys to long-term cinematic success. The official kick off was given by UNIC (find the full speech here).
The Coca-Cola seminars continued to inspire, with a 2025 Retail Seminar titled “Unattended. Unstoppable.The Future of Cinema Retail” highlighting the future of frictionless cinema retail through cutting-edge technology and smart partnerships. On Wednesday, the Inspiration Seminar “Reinvent Yourself. Repeat” invited attendees to consider cinema’s evolution through the lens of convenience and fuel retail, with compelling insights from NACS Global and Coca-Cola.
As always, the CineEurope Trade Show played a major role in the event, with an impressive range of companies showcasing innovative products and services aimed at enhancing the cinema experience. On the trade fair floor, ICTA sessions explored vital themes including “Repositioning the Cinema Value Proposition Through Streaming Technology,” “Driving Youth Attendance Through Creative Technology,” and “AI and Audience Engagement in Cinema.” The quickfire ICTA member presentations added further value to this high-energy programme.
UNIC-led sessions addressed some of the sector’s most pressing challenges, including “AI & Cinemas,” and a UNIC People Programme session on “The War For Talents,” packed with practical examples for attracting and retaining the best people in the industry. On Wednesday, a special panel hosted by Gruvi tackled the perennial question of collaboration between distribution and exhibition: “Our Common Goal: Sell More Cinema Tickets.”
CineEurope wouldn’t be CineEurope without its studio presentations, and 2025 delivered a stellar line-up. Attendees were treated to exclusive previews and exciting updates from Lionsgate, Sony Pictures Releasing International, Universal Pictures International, STUDIOCANAL, Warner Bros. Pictures International, Paramount Pictures International, Walt Disney Studios, and Angel Studios.
For UNIC, CineEurope 2025 also marked important milestones. UNIC released its latest Annual Report (available here) and was proud to continue the UNIC People Programme and launch a new edition of the Women’s Cinema Leadership Programme. These initiatives reaffirm our commitment to ensuring the cinema industry remains a premium and inclusive place to work.
UNIC was also delighted to celebrate excellence in the sector. The Awards Ceremony recognised outstanding achievements with honours including the UNIC Award of Achievement for Tomasz Jagiełło, the Comscore European Box Office Achievement Award for Walt Disney Studios’ Moana 2, and the Gold Awards presented to a number of exceptional individuals from across the region. Leonine Studios was named European Distributor of the Year, while Kinopolis Management Multiplex GmbH received the prestigious Milestone Award.
A special toast was held for this year’s honourees, and we were proud to award Pathé Cinémas with the CineEurope Exhibitor of the Year, and Angel Studios with the Breakout Distributor of the Year Award.
We hope you enjoyed the convention as much as we did, and we cannot wait to see you at CineEurope 2026, scheduled for June 22–25. Save the date!