Cineville is a film platform from The Netherlands that aims to make independent cinema(s) more accessible. It’s an-all-you-can-watch membership, an alliance of European independent cinemas and a collective marketing tool. This is the story of how it all started, and where we are now.
Amsterdam, 2008. Perched on bar stools at student-run independent cinema Kriterion, four colleagues are discussing over after-work drinks. Their cinema had an amazing programme with classics, indie gems and previews, but ticket sales were low. Struggling to attract a younger crowd, Kriterion felt like a time capsule of sorts, with half-empty screenings the norm rather than the exception.
In a bid to bring arthouse back and get their peers excited about independent cinema, the students started ‘Project David’, later rebranded as ‘Cineville’ – an unlimited indie cinema subscription and network. Launching in their home town, the four founders wanted to reclaim the market share Amsterdam cinemas had lost to multiplex chains, and solve arthouse cinema’s branding problem. The all-you-can-watch model they came up with was marketed towards a younger audience.
A year after that night at Kriterion, Cineville launched in thirteen independent cinemas in Amsterdam. The understated black-and-white membership card was introduced with a single sentence: ‘There’s a new town in town’. Going to the movies became as spontaneous as grabbing a cup of coffee.
And Amsterdam proved to be the perfect cinema city. Like many of its historical European counterparts, it’s a city of short distances. Its compact layout allows you to cycle from one part of town to the next, which was paramount to the new network’s success. Residents can get from tiny nostalgic cinema De Uitkijk on the canal ring to the imposingly modernist Eye Film Museum in Amsterdam-Noord within 15 minutes.
In Cineville’s collaborative model, competition is the concept. The independent cinemas had been trying to one-up each other for decades, but the idea of a network that could preserve and even promote their distinct identities opened up a new way of thinking. Celebrating singularity rather than nullifying it, Cineville operates as an anti-franchise: a mycorrhizal network of cinemas in a city that seemed to be planned for it, creating fertile grounds for innovation and growth to take root.
Rather than sticking to their one favourite spot, Cineville members are actively encouraged to explore new cinemas, films and audiences. Cross pollination between different locations happens instantaneously: because of their subscription, people who usually only go to cool waterside cinema FC Hyena in Amsterdam-Noord are inspired to check out the Art Deco decor of The Movies in the city centre, and vice versa. When joining Cineville, cinemas keep their own selling points: there’s no identical interior design, no meddling with programming choices or rules for what snacks to sell.
After a few years of pioneering in Amsterdam, Cineville set foot in Rotterdam, The Hague and Delft in 2012. Six new cinemas in three new cities, all connected by train. Cineville’s initial expansion paid off: two years later, there were over twenty affiliated independent cinemas in eight cities, 10,000 members had joined the club and over one million visits were registered. The directors even received an award for their contributions to the Dutch cinema industry. Cineville was here to stay!
It wasn’t just the little black card that cemented the brand’s position, though. From the start, Cineville stood for much more than an unlimited membership. From its custom-built online showtimes overview to its yearly film election; it’s a platform of film fans, for film fans. Over the years, Cineville has organised talkshows and club nights; set up outdoor screenings in gardens and parks; filled a daily online film magazine and social media channels with editorial content; and created numerous creative campaigns about cinema, cinema, cinema.
By the time Cineville’s ten-year anniversary came around in 2019, it had 45.000 members, and 43 independent cinemas in over twenty Dutch cities. Dozens of little Davids, united against Goliath. They celebrated together, in style, with a huge movie-themed party and a tour of the Netherlands, screening the most memorable films of the past decade. Cineville’s social media channels were filled with member interviews, highlights and memories. A true film family had been born.
A year later, though, the Cineville community was faced with an unexpected challenge: when COVID hit and streaming services skyrocketed, independent cinemas started collapsing across the globe. The lockdowns led to substantial financial losses, and the delayed release of films exacerbated the crisis. Many cinemas were on the brink of bankruptcy. While multiplex chains had the financial clout to stay afloat, independent cinemas were hanging on by a thread.
In the Netherlands, a different story unfolded. As the cinemas were forced to close, the roots of their underlying network started to move and intertwine. Within weeks, Cineville, the independent cinemas, the film distributors and a selection of local film festivals set up a temporary streaming service for members: Vitamine Cineville. During the pandemic, over 40,000 ‘Cinevillers’ (almost 80%) kept their membership in support of local cinemas, with some even joining mid-lockdown. This period strengthened the union between Cineville, its partners and its members.
When the world re-opened in 2021, every Cineville cinema in The Netherlands had survived. Thanks to the Cinevillers who had continued to pay their membership fees, and to the goodwill and hard work put in by everyone involved, Cineville was able to financially support the cinemas during and after the crisis. In cityscapes dotted with closed restaurants and shops, independent cinemas flickered back to life, their worn seats a welcome reminder of what used to be. And audiences also returned – with a vengeance.
By 2024, the Dutch Cineville cinemas had recovered to 92% of their pre-pandemic admissions, compared to a national average of 70%.$^1$ In the wake of COVID’s global crisis, the Cineville community grew into a safe, supportive environment, encouraging seasoned and brand-new cinema owners alike. As a result, the Cineville network entered a period of rapid expansion after the pandemic: membership numbers doubled in just a few years, proving Cineville’s resilience. Streaming offers convenience but no chatting in line at the counter, no hushed excitement when the lights dim, no shared transformative experience.
As per 2025, Cineville is the biggest film community in The Netherlands. More than 100,000 Cineville members can visit over 70 cinemas throughout the country, amounting to more than 2.2 million admissions yearly. On top of that, a 2025 impact study showed that 84% of all members are ‘active members’, meaning they use their card at least once per month, with some even going up to four times monthly. This frequency far exceeds the Dutch average.$^2$
The way the subscription is set up adds to this activity: Cineville’s low-threshold model redefines going to the cinema as an easy everyday option, opening the door to casual and frequent visits. Members can go on a whim, which leads to a re-normalisation of cinemagoing as a joint, seamless activity. It’s Friday afternoon, you’re off early, you don’t feel like going to dinner yet and your friend, who also has a Cineville card, is available. Let’s go to the movies!
Not only are Cineville members active, they’re also loyal. Membership turnover is generally low, with only 3% of members cancelling their subscription each month. They’re happy subscribers, which is echoed by the fact that in a 2024 survey, members gave Cineville a Net Promoter Score (NPS) of 67, with 69% of respondents rating their likelihood to recommend Cineville as 9 or 10 out of 10.$^3$ This once again ties into the idea of Cineville as a community.
With a website and app filled with curated film tips, background articles and an extensive showtime calendar, Cineville has become a home for the curious. Its tone of voice is fresh and personal: avoiding film jargon, Cineville guides you through the world of film, much like that enthusiastic film friend.
Over the years, visitors have shared their personal Cineville stories. A young girl who lost her mother described going to the cinema as a way to cope with her loss, finding comfort in crying in the dark, surrounded by strangers. In contrast, the countless accounts of awkward first dates filled with giggles and sweaty hand-holding make you wonder whether a cinema is actually the right place for for romance. But there has also been romcom magic: Cineville members have been proposed to in cinemas, and people have sent in their film-themed wedding- and baby pictures.
The cinemas themselves are at the heart of the Cineville concept. Most Dutch cinemas feel like homes-away-from-home, their welcoming interiors – with typically ‘gezellige’ cafés and intimate screening rooms – inviting visitors to stay rather than ushering them out once the credits roll. And when you can come and go as you please, a cinema becomes a familiar, everyday space – a valuable third place where community meets city, and city history. Dutch independent cinemas, for instance, are often housed in repurposed buildings. They‘re filled with stories in more ways than one. Watching The Brutalist in a 19th Century chocolate factory or seeing Suspiria in an old panopticon prison are uniquely layered experiences.
Independent cinemas form a vital part of the Dutch cultural landscape. Once surviving, they are now very much alive, their screening rooms and hallways filled with the excited gasps of a young crowd experiencing David Lynch for the first time, or the murmur of a long line of people waiting to see the latest Bong Joon-ho.
As shown by studies in 2020, 2024 and 2025, independent cinemas in the Netherlands have sold more tickets since Cineville started; more young people have found their way to the independent cinemas; Cineville members have broadened their cinematic diet by watching more films outside of their comfort zone; Cineville revenue share has grown to almost 90% of ticket prices; and Cineville has reimbursed over 100 million Euros to affiliated Dutch cinemas.$^4$ In effect, Cineville and its members are contributing to a film culture that is financially secure, diverse and vibrant.
Following up on its existing support for other cultural subscription models in The Netherlands and its mission to foster collaboration and reciprocation within the European independent cinema sector, Cineville has further expanded its network in Europe. As of March 2025, Cineville is active in five countries: The Netherlands (2009), Belgium (2022), Austria (2023), Germany (2024) and Sweden (2025), with member numbers often more than doubling each year. At the moment, 196 cinemas and 135,000 members generate approximately 2.8 million cinema visits annually.$^5$
Looking ahead, Cineville aims to grow even further and establish itself as the leading film membership programme for independent cinemas across the European continent, while fostering a vibrant, film-loving community. Created by and for independent cinemas, Cineville is locally driven. In each participating country, cinemas collectively own and govern their Cineville, enabling them to work together to tailor pricing, suspension policies, and user insights to local preferences and national data. Local networks are empowered and competition is navigated, shaping programming strategies and diversity.
Local efforts are supported bottom-up by Cineville’s shared infrastructure of knowledge and resources. In the future, Cineville will continue to cement and improve its digital tools, logistics and data operations for greater stability. Joint marketing strategies and campaigns will help with visibility and brand identity, always putting Cineville’s adventurous spirit and love for cinema front and center. As the 2025 international launch campaign for Cineville Sweden put it: Cineville offers ‘Infinite cinema visits for the infinitely curious.’
In other Cineville countries as in the Netherlands, Cineville isn’t just a subscription but a cultural companion that becomes part of people’s lives, routines and identities. The same high numbers of active and engaged members (>80%) are echoed across Belgium, Austria, Germany and Sweden. In a study from 2025, European Cinevillers consistently describe Cineville as ‘more than a product’$^6$: it’s a way to belong to a strong, shared cultural network and a way of supporting the revival and survival of independent cinema, fostering shared experience and connecting cities and cultures.
From Amsterdam to Vienna, Cineville continues to drives sector-wide sustainable impact, boosting attendance, attracting younger audiences and supporting independent cinema both financially and socially.
In his 2025 Oscar speech, director Sean Baker said: ‘In a time in which the world can feel very divided, [going to the cinema] is more important than ever. It’s a communal experience you simply don’t get at home.’ Film has the power to connect people, ideas, and dreams. The stories of others teach us everything about ourselves. That is why Cineville wants to make independent cinema(s) accessible and enjoyable for all. It’s the collective effort of crazy film people striving to unite other crazy film people, celebrating cinema in all it’s shapes and sizes. Because everyone needs a good film every now and then.
$^1$NVPI Rapport, 2024
$^2$TrueMotion Cinergy Study, 2025
$^3$Cineville Marketing Survey, 2024
$^4$LAgroupe Impact Study, 2019, Cineville surveys, 2024, 2025, TrueMotion Cinergy Study, 2025
$^5$TrueMotion Cinergy Study, 2025
$^6$TrueMotion Cinergy Study, 2025
$^7$Cineville Campaign, 2025: There’s more to see with Cineville
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