Welcome to the September Issue of GSCA’s Theater Marketing Brief!
This initiative from the GSCA Marketing Committee—curated by Diane Carlson (Giant Screen Cinema Consulting) and Caroline Borgudd (Cosmonova IMAX, Swedish Museum of Natural History)—is here to spark ideas by spotlighting documentary film marketing success stories by GSCA theater members.
📣 Got a success story or great idea to share? Contact info is at the end!
🏛️ Lockheed Martin IMAX Reopens in Washington D.C.
- The National Air and Space Museum’s Lockheed Martin IMAX Theater reopened in July after a 7-year closure of the entire museum.
- Renovations: new lobby, new seating, new screen, and advanced seat selection for Hollywood features.
- 🎬 July 22: Media event for *The Blue Angels* IMAX film with director Paul Crowder & former Blue Angels “Boss” Greg Woolridge.
- 🎭 July 24: Special advance screening of *Fantastic Four: First Steps* with director Matt Shakman & fans in costume.
- 🏛️ July 28: Museum reopened main entrance + five galleries; IMAX documentaries launched with *The Blue Angels, Space: The New Frontier, To Fly!, Deep Sky & T.REX*.
- 📈 Opening week attendance was very strong!
- *T.REX* highlighted Smithsonian museum-wide collaboration.
- 🗂️ From the archives:
- *To Fly!* (1976) remains the longest continuously running GS film.
- Quetzalcoatlus northropi first appeared in the museum’s 1986 film, *On the Wing”. It returns in *T.REX*
📩 Jackie Mollet: MolletJa2@si.edu
🎥 Director at Work in Stockholm
- *Dolphins: Call of the Wild* launched May 14 with a visit by director Jonathan Bird.
- Jonathan did media interviews, introduced the premiere, and recorded 10 social posts (behind-the-scenes, contests, quizzes). See link:
- https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1W1Y9dr4BCBHcyJ4jkBAArTg-aGLpCafh?usp=share_link
- He energized staff/volunteers to become Dolphins ambassadors.
- Outdoor marketing: large building signs + street pole banners.
- Paired with *T.REX*, held over from its initial run.
- 📈 Results: Best July post-Covid → +4% vs. July 2024, +6% vs. July 2023.
📩 Cristian Norlin: Cristian.norlin@nrm.se
🦖 Sweet Success with Film + Exhibit Pairings
- Denver Museum: *T.REX* + fossil dig → new ‘Teen Rex’ exhibit. Remains a top 2 title in 2025.
- Amanda Bennett: Bennett@dmns.org
- IMAX Melbourne: *T.REX* + exhibit → record-setting attendance. Added custom GS 2-min intro tied to exhibit.
- Montreal Science Center: 75th GS booking of *T.REX* with AMNH exhibit → ran 100% of shows.
- Other Pairs:
- California Science Center (CSC): 20+ years of pairing films & exhibits (*SuperPower Dogs* + *Dogs! A Science Tail*–a traveling exhibit CSC created & is still traveling; *Mysteries of Egypt* + *King Tut*).
- Gina Lee: glee@californiasciencecenter.org
- Additional notable pairs: *Titans of the Ice Age* + Mammoths/Mastodons; *Titanica* + Titanic; *Dinosaurs of Antarctica* + Antarctic Dinosaurs; *Secrets of the Mummies* + Tutankhamun.
📦 Houston Museum Field Trip Package Success
- Houston Museum of Natural Science paired *Call of the Dolphins* with educational exhibit packages—making bookings easier for schools & daycare centers.
- Spring/summer: ‘Marvelous Adaptations’ + ‘Ocean Fun’ → pushed *Call of the Dolphins* to #1 attendance performer.
- Fall 2025: Packages include ‘Marvelous Adaptations’ + ‘Extreme Animals Alive’.
- Printed flyers sent to schools/daycares, plus online promotion.
📩 Amanda Norris: anorris@hmns.org
🌊 Cool Relief at Omniversum’s Hot Summer
- *Dolphins: Call of the Wild* was the featured summer film.
- 📈 June–Aug attendance +10% YoY.
- Theater transformed into a dolphin ‘aquarium’: banners, decals, themed stairwells/café, plush toys, activity room.
- Café provided coloring sheets (also at libraries).
- Promotions: photo standee + scratch & win tickets with local store.
- Dutch narrator (a national celeb) boosted media buzz.
- Partnerships with International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) and World Wildlife Fund (WWF) supported outreach.
📩 Alexandra van der Zee: avdzee@museon-omniversum.nl
🐋 California Science Center’s Blue Whales 3D Run #1 in Attendance
- *Blue Whales: Return of the Giants* premiered May 25, 2023 with life-size inflatable whale! See premiere leveraged on website: Blue Whales 3D: Return of the Giants
- Events included member/partner/media preview + Q&A with whale expert Dr. David Cade.
- Strong signage: giant decals with QR codes for instant ticketing.
- Social/digital: trailer + clips 30K+ views online; social audience reaction posts → 50K+ views.
- Film continues after 2 years!
- CSC + HHMI Tangled Bank Studios led creation of NGSS-aligned activity guide (English + Spanish):
- Next Generation Science Standards educational activity guide
📩 Gina Lee: glee@californiasciencecenter.org
🎞️ Farewell to Film at Dr. Phillips CineDome (Orlando)
- Opened in 1997, closed Aug 12, 2025 → one of last GS theaters using film projection.
- Director Amy Quesinberry, who opened the theater in 1997, returned in 2012 and ran the final shows.
- Closing schedule (Aug 1–12): classics *Dolphins, Everest, Living Sea*.
- 📈 Attendance more than doubled; final day +200% YoY.
- Renovated facility will reopen Spring 2026 with digital 8K full dome. Opening GS film to be announced.
📩 Jeff Stanford: jstanford@osc.org
📜 From the Archives: Saskatchewan’s T.REX
- In 2024, *T.REX* was the highest performing summer film since 2019 at Saskatchewan Science Center.
- Marketing included 3 billboards (one with giant head extension), exhibit elevator wraps, and hotel partner wraps. See launch overview:
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=__oFkibkO_s
- Fun promo video featured 2rexes attending the show (YouTube):
- https://youtu.be/qcsOFaEKsVA?si=sMD73sxm_nvvLoGf
- Most of marketing spend allocated to Meta.
📩 Ryan Holota: rholota@sasksciencecentre.com
📬 Got a Tip or Win to Share?
We’d love to feature your story!
📩 Diane Carlson – dianecarlsongscc@gmail.com | 📞 1-206-369-4946
📅 Save the Date!
GSCA International Conference – Austin & Ft. Worth, Texas – September 16-20, 2025
GSCA International Conference – Los Angeles, California – May 19 – 21, 2026