Kino Marquee

Overview

Kino Marquee is a virtual cinema platform built by Kino Lorber in March 2020 to keep arthouse theaters earning revenue after COVID-19 forced physical closures. The platform lets participating theaters sell streaming tickets to Kino Lorber theatrical releases through each theater's own branded web page. Revenue splits 50/50 between the distributor and the exhibitor, matching the economics of a standard theatrical engagement. Within weeks of launch, 60+ arthouse cinemas across the United States had joined.

Kino Lorber received a Special Award from the New York Film Critics Circle for the initiative. The platform was built on top of Kino Now, Kino Lorber's transactional VOD platform launched in late 2019. In 2023, Kino Lorber launched Kino Film Collection, a subscription streaming service at $5.99 per month, and Kino Now transitioned into that product.

For filmmakers whose films are acquired by Kino Lorber, the virtual cinema model extends the theatrical window's reach. A film that would normally open in 5 to 15 arthouse markets can potentially reach 60+ theater partner audiences simultaneously, including markets without a physical arthouse cinema.

History

Kino Marquee was the first-to-market virtual cinema platform in the United States. Kino Lorber launched it within days of the March 2020 theater closures, leveraging the existing Kino Now VOD infrastructure to build the theater-branded portal system rapidly. SVP Wendy Lidell designed the platform to emulate the theatrical experience rather than function as a standard VOD rental: films were booked Friday to Thursday, theaters promoted their own screening pages, and buyers received a "ticket" rather than a rental link.

The platform launched with Bacurau (directed by Kleber Mendonca Filho and Juliano Dornelles) on March 19, 2020, priced at a universal $12 ticket. Three theaters signed on at launch: Film at Lincoln Center (New York), Brooklyn Academy of Music, and Jacob Burns Film Center (Pleasantville, NY). Within months, other distributors followed with their own virtual cinema models, including IFC Films, Music Box Films, and Grasshopper Film.

The New York Film Critics Circle awarded Kino Lorber a Special Award for the Kino Marquee initiative, recognizing it as an effort that preserved the arthouse exhibition ecosystem during an existential threat.

Distribution Model

The Kino Marquee model involves four parties:

• Kino Lorber (the distributor) licenses the film for virtual exhibition and provides the streaming infrastructure
• The theater partner promotes the film through its own channels (email blasts, social media, website) and sells tickets on a branded page hosted on the Kino Marquee platform
• The viewer pays the ticket price (originally $12, later variable by title) and receives a time-limited streaming link
• Revenue splits 50/50 between the theater and Kino Lorber, matching standard theatrical terms

This structure preserves the theatrical distribution chain. The theater remains the point of sale and receives its share of gross revenue. The viewer interacts with their local cinema's brand, not Kino Lorber's brand directly. Kino Marquee deliberately avoids the word "streaming" in its user-facing language, using "ticket," "screening," and "admission" to maintain the theatrical framing.

The platform also supports virtual holdovers: films that perform well extend beyond their initial week, just as in physical exhibition. Theaters can aggregate multiple Kino Marquee titles on their virtual marquee, creating a programming slate that mirrors their physical screening schedule.

Example Titles They've Released

Kino Marquee titles are Kino Lorber theatrical releases that shifted to or supplemented with virtual exhibition. Representative titles include:

• Bacurau (2019) - Brazilian thriller directed by Kleber Mendonca Filho and Juliano Dornelles; Cannes Jury Prize winner; the first Kino Marquee title, priced at $12
• Sebastian (2024) - directed by Mikko Makela; a Kino Lorber theatrical release later available on Kino Film Collection
• Pioneers of Queer Cinema - a collection of early queer cinema classics in new restorations, programmed for Kino Marquee virtual cinemas for Pride Month

The platform also carried repertory titles from the Kino Lorber library, allowing theaters to program classic cinema alongside new releases. Kino Lorber releases approximately 30 titles theatrically each year under its Kino Lorber, Zeitgeist Films, Milestone Films, and Kino Lorber Repertory banners.

Deal Structure Reputation

Kino Marquee is not an independent acquisition entity. It is a distribution channel operated by Kino Lorber. Films appear on Kino Marquee only as part of Kino Lorber's theatrical distribution activity. Deal terms are negotiated at the Kino Lorber acquisitions level, not through the Marquee platform.

The 50/50 revenue split between distributor and exhibitor applies to the gross revenue from virtual cinema ticket sales. The distributor's share is then subject to standard distribution fees (typically 25% to 35%) and recoupment of P&A and delivery costs before the filmmaker receives their share. Filmmakers should model these splits carefully when evaluating a Kino Lorber offer that includes virtual cinema distribution.

Typical Acquisition Profile

Filmmakers seeking distribution through Kino Marquee should approach Kino Lorber's acquisitions team, not the Marquee platform directly. Kino Lorber acquires finished films at major festivals including Cannes, Toronto, Berlin, and Venice. The company focuses on international arthouse cinema, documentaries, and restored classics.

Kino Lorber does not accept unsolicited submissions. Access runs through festival screenings and sales agent relationships. Films with Cannes, Berlin, or Toronto premieres and strong critical reception align with Kino Lorber's acquisition pattern. The company's 4,000+ title library spans contemporary releases and restored classics, giving it a back-catalog revenue stream that supports continued acquisition activity.

Recent Slate / Acquisition Activity

Kino Lorber continues to release titles theatrically and through digital channels, with select titles available through virtual cinema. In November 2023, Kino Lorber launched Kino Film Collection, a subscription streaming service priced at $5.99 per month or $59.99 per year with a 7-day free trial. The service is available in the United States and Canada on web, mobile, Apple TV, Fire TV, Android TV, Roku, and as an Amazon Prime Video Channels add-on.

Kino Film Collection presents new theatrical releases direct from theaters alongside curated library titles and restored classics from Kino Lorber's 4,000+ title library. New films are added weekly. The service sits alongside the Criterion Channel and MUBI as one of the three primary owned streaming destinations for curated arthouse and world cinema in North America.

Kino Lorber also operates MHz Choice (acquired 2022, merged with Topic in 2024) for international series and Kino Cult (ad-supported, launched October 2021) for genre and cult films. The company's streaming portfolio now covers SVOD (Kino Film Collection, MHz Choice), AVOD (Kino Cult), and transactional (Kino Film Collection rental and purchase options).

What Filmmakers Should Know

Kino Marquee is not an independent acquisition platform. It is a distribution channel operated by Kino Lorber. Films appear on Kino Marquee only as part of Kino Lorber's theatrical distribution activity. Filmmakers seeking distribution through Kino Marquee should approach Kino Lorber's acquisitions team, not the Marquee platform directly.

For filmmakers whose films are acquired by Kino Lorber, the virtual cinema model extends the theatrical window's reach. A film that would normally open in 5 to 15 arthouse markets can potentially reach 60+ theater partner audiences simultaneously, including markets without a physical arthouse cinema. This expanded reach benefits films with niche audiences spread across geographically dispersed markets.

The key trade-off: the 50/50 revenue split means virtual cinema gross revenue is shared between distributor and exhibitor before any filmmaker participation. The distributor's share is then subject to standard distribution fees (typically 25% to 35%) and recoupment of P&A and delivery costs. Filmmakers should model these splits carefully when evaluating a Kino Lorber offer that includes virtual cinema distribution.

Watch: Trailers and Interviews

See Also

For how virtual cinema fits into the broader theatrical distribution landscape, see Streaming vs Theatrical Revenue. For Kino Lorber's overall distribution activity, see the Kino Lorber directory entry. To model revenue from a theatrical-plus-streaming release strategy, use the Revenue Forecast Calculator. For understanding how distribution fees and revenue splits affect filmmaker receipts, see What Does a Distributor Keep?.