🎬 Welcome to the First Issue of GSCA’s Theater Marketing Brief!
This new 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.
📣 Have a great idea or success story to share? Submit it! Contact info is at the end.
🚀 Social Media Hits from Cincinnati
The Omnimax Theater marketing team at the Cincinnati Museum Center turned internal talent into engaging social media posts with catchy musical promos:
🎵 Serengeti Swag
→ 6,949 organic views → boosted to 18,000 with $270 in digital ads
→ Serengeti: Journey to the Heart of Africa outperformed projections by 10% in July 2023 and 45% in August.
🌌 Space Exploration
→ 7,300 total views
→ Deep Sky topped revenue projections for the opening three months, peaking at a 34% increase in May 2024.
🎄 Bonus Holiday Fun: T-Rex the Halls
📩 Cody Hefner – chefner@cincymuseum.org
🐋 Cosmonova’s Big Splash in Sweden
Cosmonova at the Swedish Museum of Natural History made a big splash with their digital IMAX with Laser for dome upgrade:
- 🎬 Blue Whales: Return of the Giants launched the reopening in June 2024 with bold marketing—including bus ads with QR codes
- 📈 By mid-May, attendance approached 80,000
- 🦖 T.REX joined in February, Call of the Dolphins opened in May
- 🌌 Interstellar added for evening showings to attract non-family audiences without disrupting documentaries
- 📊 Jan–Apr 2025 attendance was up 24% over 2023 (museum was closed in 2024 for roof repairs)
- 🔮 Planned second feature in December: Avatar: Fire and Ash
📩 Caroline Borgudd – caroline.borgudd@nrm.se
📱 How Many iPhones Equal an IMAX Screen?
Saskatchewan Science Center’s Ryan Holota uses weekly Monday Movie Minute videos across social channels to highlight the IMAX experience.
📏 Fun fact: It would take over 30,700 iPhone 16s to cover their screen! This will be added to preshow trivia Q&A this summer.
🎤 Conan O’Brien referenced a similar comparison at the Oscars—Ryan’s screen is 35x bigger than Conan’s!
📩 Ryan Holota – rholota@sasksciencecentre.com
🐬 Making the Most of a Filmmaker’s Visit
Tennessee Aquarium flew in cinematographer Tim Gears to help launch Call of the Dolphins:
- 🎤 Tim introduced screenings and led audience Q&As
- 📺 3 TV appearances + 2 radio interviews
- 🎧 Recorded a session for their “Podcast Aquatic”
- 📈 Result: Strong spring break attendance & sustained interest
🎥 Film will be one of two titles for summer.
📩 Thom Benson – tlb@tnaqua.org
🦖 Giant Decal for a Dinosaur Giant
IMAX Melbourne at the Melbourne Museum went huge for T.REX 3D:
- 🦕 Tied in with a real fossil exhibit to drive joint ticketing
- 🦶 Dino footprints guided visitors from exhibit to theater
- 🖼 Outdoor decal (104 ft. x 75 ft.) = 14 T. rex or 800+ Sam Neills
- 🎟 53,000+ attendees since June 2024 launch
- 🥤 Renovated concession area (since Feb) boosted evening sales
📩 Brooke Laurie – blaurie@imaxmelbourne.com.au
🧠 Amped-Up Preshow Trivia Challenge
Museum of Science & History / Pink Palace Museum created preshow trivia videos for their Spotlight Giant Theater:
- 🏫 5-min version for school groups
- 🎥 2-min version for general audiences
- 🎬 All produced in-house
📺 Oceans Blue Planet – School Version
📺 Oceans Blue Planet – Public Version
📩 Tony Hardy – tony.hardy@memphisn.gov
📚 Activity Guides as Outreach Tools
🗓 Send your film’s activity guide to institutional members during opening week! It reminds them of the theater’s educational value and the great new content.
🎁 A free value-add that can encourage bookings by teachers, youth leaders, and group organizers.
📩 Diane Carlson – dianecarlsongscc@gmail.com
🎯 Programming Wisdom from a Giant Screen Veteran
🎥 Dave Duszynski (retired, OMNIMAX Theater) shares two key takeaways:
- 🎞 Keep your slate small—no more than 2 titles, with a clear “A” title
- 🌟 Only choose quality, immersive films worthy of the giant screen
📩 New contact: Tony Lawson – tlawson@cincymuseum.org
📊 Bonus Resource: Marketing Planning Tool
🎓 The GSCA Marketing Masterclass included valuable tools—one being the Marketing Campaign Planning Spreadsheet.
🔐 Requires user ID and password. Need help? Contact Tammy Barrett
📬 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 2025
🌐 Conference Info & Registration
📧 Know someone else at your organization who should receive this brief?
Send their name and email to Tammy Barrett to be added to the list!