ICA’s “Studio Marketing Partnership” Pilot Drives Nearly $1 Million in Box Office, Proving Paid Social Delivers for Independent Theatres

Nine titles, 29 test theatres, and an 11.1x return on ad spend demonstrate a new national marketing model for independent theatres

DALLAS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The Independent Cinema Alliance (ICA), a cinema trade organization representing approximately 5,000 independently operated movie screens across the United States and Canada, today announced results from its 2025 Studio Marketing Partnership pilot program, proving that coordinated, data-driven marketing can deliver measurable, profitable box office for independent theatres and a powerful new marketing engine for film studios.

Developed and executed in collaboration with FilmFrog, a longtime ICA champion and strategic marketing partner, ICA ran a limited 2025 pilot program supporting nine theatrical titles, each with a two-week paid social media campaign leading up to and through opening week across an average of 29 participating test theatres. The goal was simple: prove that ICA can do more than build awareness — it can mobilize moviegoers and monetize that action at the box office.

The results delivered. The program connected with more than 6 million unique moviegoers, generated 11 million impressions, and drove 440,000 clicks (a 4.1% CTR), converting 44,000 purchasers who bought over 100,000 tickets at a 10% conversion rate. In total, an $80,000 ad investment produced nearly $1 million in admissions revenue — an extraordinary 11.1x return on ad spend, successfully demonstrating a new national marketing model for independent exhibitors.

In addition to paid social media, the Studio Marketing Partnership also includes focused support from the exhibitor’s valuable, highly targeted in-theatre, on-screen, digital, and social media assets, ensuring campaigns engage audiences across multiple touchpoints and maximize transactional results.

“This pilot proves that when independent theatres come together, digital marketing stops being an expense and becomes a revenue engine,” said Frank Rash, Executive Director of the Independent Cinema Alliance. “We’ve shown that ICA can reach moviegoers at scale, engage them with highly targeted, localized campaigns, and convert that engagement directly into box office revenue. For our members, this means predictable, profitable marketing. For studios, it means a powerful new way to activate independent theatre audiences nationally.”

“Independent theatres have always had the audiences — this program finally gives them a national marketing engine to activate them,” said Brandon Jones, FilmFrog CEO and Founder. “Working alongside ICA, we combined smart data, localized execution, and performance-driven creative to deliver results that rival major studio campaigns. These numbers prove that independent theatrical marketing can be both targeted and highly transactional.”

ICA and FilmFrog will scale the Studio Marketing Partnership program in 2026, inviting more members and studio partners to participate.

About ICA

ICA is a not-for-profit, alliance of independent cinemas operating in communities throughout the United States and Canada. Theatres operated by alliance members range in size from single-screen venues in small towns to multiplexes in larger cities. Today a growing 180-member companies representing approximately 5,000 screens share one common goal: to provide a public voice that promotes the importance of independent cinemas as a vital and necessary part of a healthy and vibrant motion picture industry. For more information, visit www.cinemaalliance.org.

About FilmFrog

We love movies. FilmFrog markets film and entertainment experiences. FilmFrog has built a team of exhibitor and movie marketers with a system that brings more movie-goers to more cinemas across the country focused on independent, mid-sized and regional exhibitors. FilmFrog believes that cinema marketing influences culture and creates memorable moments through the magic of going to the movies.