Last week, I had the opportunity to address the CinemaCon audience as part of Vista’s commitment to the event. I’m sharing those remarks here because they capture how we see the opportunity ahead for our industry.

What follows is a lightly edited version of my CinemaCon sponsor address.

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Every year, CinemaCon is a celebration of cinema and moviegoing, and coming together with the industry also provides a chance to pause, and reflect on what it will take to keep audiences choosing cinema for decades to come.

In my comparatively brief time in this industry, one thing stands out: cinema has always found a way to reinvent itself when it matters most.

Once again, we find ourselves at an important inflection point. Pressure is on from both audiences and the economics of our industry. Moviegoers today have more choice than ever, with limited time and stretched incomes, and their tolerance for friction and complexity is lower than it has ever been. At the same time, margins matter more, every bit of waste hurts, and the complexity that has built up over time is beginning to cost us more than we may have realised.

Two journeys: the moviegoer and the movie

Vista empowers every step of the moviegoer journey, from awareness to intent, commitment, arrival, immersion, and the memories that bring us all coming back to the big screen. Every movie follows its own journey, one that begins well before the audience even knows it exists. These two journeys meet—thanks to the work of everyone in this industry—in the cinema.

But it is also fair to say that the way the movie and the moviegoer come together hasn’t fundamentally changed in a long time.

While it’s easy to look outward to find the challenges facing our industry—to look at competition, changing habits, or the cost of living—there is also an opportunity to focus on what we can control.

Over time, friction creeps into everything. Processes that once made sense can quietly become obstacles, especially for our audiences, who don’t see studios, distributors, exhibitors, and suppliers all working to deliver their experience. They experience one journey. When that journey is easy, it feels right. When it isn’t, they turn elsewhere.

The opportunity in front of us isn’t solely innovation, but simplification.

Simplification means a slate that feels designed with audiences in mind. It means communications and offers that reflect their preferences. Fewer steps between their intent, and their experience, from how they choose seats, to food, and more, by designing venues and operations that flow end-to-end. It means achieving all of this while managing costs with discipline, not added complexity.

Progress like this doesn’t come from technology alone, but from all of us working together, being willing to challenge the familiar and remove what no longer serves the cinema experience.

It takes us all, from those who joined us at CinemaCon, to the industry around the world, to achieve that. As you work to break down barriers, Vista’s focus throughout our journey has been to support you.

We’re reducing friction, improving collaboration, and turning data into better decisions. Freeing teams from repetitive work so they can focus on what matters most at the end of the day, delivering memorable experiences for audiences.

If we can get this right, cinema will not only endure, it will strengthen. We can’t think of a more important challenge, or a more meaningful focus for the road ahead.