Independent cinema website: what fills the seats

Most people who visit a movie theater's website want one thing: what's playing today, and at what time. After that, they check the price, whether there's a bar, how to get captions, and whether they can rent the place for a party.

In October 2026 we opened 9 independent cinema websites in eight towns, on a phone and on a computer, and looked at what moviegoers search for. The best ones showed today's films with times you could tap to buy. Others led with a slogan, showed a film from last week, or had no showtimes at all. This guide goes through what matters, in order, with the steps to set each one up. (Run a stage theater? See Live theater website.)

Make showtimes one tap away

Only 3 of the 9 cinemas named a film that was playing on a phone's first screen, and 3 had no link to showtimes at all. The ones that worked opened on today's films, with each time a link to buy.

Your ticketing system (Veezi, Filmbot, RTS, Indy and others) already keeps an up-to-date showtimes page. Send people straight there:

1. Click Menu in the left menu. Under Header button, type Button text like "Showtimes & tickets". Under Goes to, choose Another website… and paste your ticketing system's showtimes link.
2. Turn on Call bar on phones, so the button stays at the bottom of the screen on phones.
3. In your home page's Hero section, point its button at the same link, and make the headline about what you show, like "Independent, foreign and classic films in downtown Lancaster".

Don't type the week's showtimes into your site by hand. Two of the cinemas we looked at did, which means retyping them every week, and hand-written dates are what go stale: one homepage still said "Coming Friday" about a film that had played three days before.

Put special screenings in your events

Weekly showtimes belong in your ticketing system. One-night events belong on your site: a festival, a filmmaker Q&A, a live-scored silent film, a 35mm series. Each gets its own page, can show up in Google's event listings and drops off by itself when it's over.

1. Click Lists in the left menu, then Edit events, then Add event.
2. Fill in Event name, Date, Starts at, Price and a Photo. Use a still or poster from the distributor, not one you've edited.
3. In Full details, give the film's year, rating, run time and anything special (a guest, a new restoration, open captions).
4. Under Tickets or RSVP button, type "Get tickets" and paste the ticket link for that showing.
5. For a series, type its name in Category, like "Cult Classics", and use Repeats for a weekly slot.
6. Click Publish, and add an Events section to your home page.

If an event sells out, set Status to Sold out. See Events.

Say which showings have captions and audio description

Federal rules require movie theaters that show digital films to have closed-caption and audio-description devices, and to say so wherever they list showtimes, on their website too. Only 2 of the 9 sites mentioned captioning, and only one marked which showings had it.

• Put a line under your showtimes button or in your Hero, like "Closed-caption and audio-description devices at every showing. Ask at the box office."
• If you run open-captioned or sensory-friendly showings, add them as events with Category "Accessible showings". People search for "open caption movies near me" and "sensory friendly movies near me".
• If your ticketing system tags showings with captions (CC, OC or AD), make sure the tags show on its showtimes page.

Add a Text section on your visit page for wheelchair spaces and companion seats too, and name any screen without step-free access. One cinema marks its "upstairs (no elevator)" screen next to each showing, which saves a wasted trip.

Give your hours, address and parking

Many small cinemas are open only some days, and just one of the 9 said which on the first screen.

• In Business info, set Regular hours to when your doors or box office open, and mark the days you're closed. Fill in every day, so nobody drives over on a night you're dark.
• Add an Open today strip near the top of your home page. It says whether you're open right now.
• Add an Hours & location section with a map, and describe parking under it.
• Closed for a private event? Use Holidays and special hours in Business info, or the Announcement bar with Show from and Last day shown set. See Business info and hours.

Post your prices

People search for "cheap movie theater days" and "cheap movie theaters on tuesdays". Add a Price list / menu section with:

• Ticket prices: adult, child, senior, student, member, matinee.
• Your discount day, if you have one.
• Any online ticket fee, next to the price. California requires the full price, fees included, up front.
• Your bar and concession menu. Five of the 9 cinemas serve beer, wine or cocktails, and "movie theater with bar near me" is a common search. Say whether drinks can go into the auditorium, and the age rules.

You can fill the menu part in from a photo of your menu. See Fill in a menu from a photo or PDF.

Explain your membership

Five of the 9 cinemas sell memberships. In a 2026 survey of art house moviegoers, 43% said they belonged to their theater's membership, and almost all of them joined to support the theater.

1. Add a Packages section to a Membership page.
2. Make one package per tier, with Name, Price, What’s included (member prices, free tickets, early access, member screenings) and a Button to the membership page in your ticketing system.
3. Turn on Highlight as most popular for the tier you'd recommend.
4. In Fine print, say how much is tax-deductible if you're a nonprofit. For a membership over $75 that comes with free tickets or other perks, the IRS expects you to say so.

If you're a nonprofit, make a page from the Donate template too, and say you're a 501(c)(3). Many states require charities to register before asking for donations, and some require set wording on the donate page, so check with your state's charity office. See Take payments with payment links.

Send a weekly email

In the same survey, 61% of art house moviegoers said they hear about films from the theater's emails. That's more than any other way. Add a Newsletter signup section to your home page, with an Intro like "This week's films, every Tuesday." See Add a newsletter signup.

Offer your screens for parties

Eight of the 9 cinemas rent their screens for private screenings, birthday parties and events, and people search for "rent a movie theater near me".

• Make a Rentals page with what's included, how long, the number of seats and a price range.
• Add a Form with Form name "Rental request". Use More questions for the date, the number of guests and what they'd like to show. Requests land in your Inbox and your email. See Forms and your inbox.
• With the Bookings & RSVPs add-on, you can take party bookings at set times instead, with a deposit, and confirm each one yourself. See Take bookings on your site.

Use the distributor's posters and trailers

Posters, stills and trailers belong to the film's distributor, and film ratings are trademarks that can't be self-applied.

• Use the poster, stills and trailer the distributor gives you as they are, with no added words, cropping or new colors. Use them for that film, not as your site's design.
• Show a film's rating exactly as it was rated, as text like "Rated R", or "Not rated". Don't make your own rating badge.
• For trailers, use the distributor's own YouTube video in a Video or Videos section. See Add a video.

Photos that show your theater

Your marquee, your auditorium and your bar are what make an independent cinema worth the trip. Take:

1. The marquee or front at night, lit up
2. The auditorium with the lights up, from the back row
3. The concession stand or bar, with the popcorn going
4. The projector or projection booth
5. A full house before a show, from behind
6. A special event: a Q&A, a costume night, a live-scored silent film

Until you have your own, Free photos has good ones for "empty theater seats red auditorium", "popcorn concession stand cinema lobby" and "film projector projection booth". Skip the marquee and building photos there: they're all real theaters with their own names and films on them. See Free photos.

Answer the questions moviegoers ask

Add an FAQ section. Questions cinemas get most:

• How much are tickets? Do you have a discount day?
• Can I get a refund or change my showing?
• Do you have closed captions or audio description?
• Is the theater wheelchair accessible?
• Do you serve beer, wine or food? Can I bring my own snacks?
• How does membership work?
• Can I rent a theater for a party?
• Where do I park?

In Lists › FAQs, Suggest questions drafts more from your own site. See Use suggested questions.

Tips

• Give your home page a search title with your town, like "Independent cinema in Athens, GA". Two of the cinemas we looked at had titles that were just "Home" and "Now Showing". See Set a page's search title and description.
• Don't add pop-ups over your first screen. One cinema's newsletter pop-up covered its showtimes on phones.
• Read your home page every Monday: anything that says "this Friday" or "coming soon" about a past date should come down.