You’re asking what now..? We have all been there. We can’t read your mind but we are pretty sure you want to make more money. Maybe you want to start a new business, increase ticket sales, maximize Free advertising or Increase traffic. Since we can’t read your mind exactly, and you can’t read ours, we are going to point out a few things to you about us and what you can do. Turn that what now into right now!

Who we are!

Pop-Up Cinema began as a company that just sold screens and have been busy sourcing and supplying all the supporting technology to successfully screen movies anywhere. And we mean pretty much anywhere, from your backyard to the side of a mountain to the posh poolside of an exclusive hotel. In the background, we have also helped to create a groundswell of good faith projects to bring movies to underserved areas that don’t have classic Drive-in or picnic-style outdoor screenings.  The foundation is being built as we speak – read our Focus On Africa post where you can opt to get involved.

Filmgoers, find a drive-in or outdoor cinema!

When you’re friend turns to you on your night off and asks, “What now?” Search our map based interactive search engine to find a venue near you to watch a movie!  You can also find a cinema set up to rent for your next event.

Sign-up for our Newsletter!

You can receive our monthly newsletter called ‘What’s Poppin’ which will strictly focus on and help grow this unique industry. It brings you exclusive news, reviews, new listings and helpful tips for everything #popupcinema

Entrepreneurs, Buy A Screen!

If you are interested in running a pop-up cinema we have insights in the business section of our blog. You can also go directly to our Own Your Own page.

Business Owners, Need Some Help?

So you’re thinking of buying a screen or you already got yourself a screen and you have read through the FAQ’s and you still have questions (I know I can’t believe we didn’t cover your concern either!) you can always contact us for a consultation. We can help you expand and optimize your Pop-Up Cinema business.

Add your Business to our Listing Directory!

If you are a festival runner or Pop-Up cinema screen owner you have got to be listed. With all the increased traffic you’re going to be dealing with, you may have to hire car guards and install a few robotstraffic lights.

• First search for your company in our Listing Directory. It’s just like googling yourself, a bit of fun hey?
• You found your free listing! Great…now what? Claim it! Just click the button. You could leave it like it is with a minimal amount of information, but just like youth, it will be gone one day. So your best bet is to claim your listing and update the information.  Now you can respond to reviews.
• Not listed? Now you got FOMO don’t ya? No worries, just click “Add a Listing‘ and you will be taken to a form to fill in. You can actually preview it before you commit because we know commitment can be scary.

Upgrade your Package!

Make a splash and stand out by increasing your visibility with one of our various packages. Add images and increase the length of your business description, add your socials and web links to really let the people know what you’re about and how to find you.

Important Note from our SEO Expert: Properly naming your image file, the use of Alt Text fields on images to describe them, Closed Captioning on videos and Tags all help your SEO (That’s Search Engine Optimization). Not only is it the right think to do in terms of accessibility but Google may reward you with better ranking!

Our packages range from Basic to specialized Festival Events. The Red Carpet package is the VIP treatment without the painful high heels and outlandish tuxedo rentals.

Business Support Services Get Booked!

If you are an adjacent business owner who supplies support services like a food truck, AV company, entertainer, ticket sales platform, etc. – ask us about advertising opportunities.

Social Media

Now that you’re set up with your listing be sure to like/share/repost your listing when you see it on our social media channels! Hashtags cost nothing and allow you to be as creative and audience-focused as you want. Follow us, use our hashtags (#popupcinema), tag us in your pics, mention us in your posts, and create your own unique identifying hashtags to make it easy for your audience to find out what you are doing and where. Encourage your audience to “share” their experience at your event with the world and tag you. You can also encourage them to go back to your listing on pop-upcinema.com and rate your event and write a review.

Don’t have social media yet? No problem, it’s real easy to set up those accounts. If you need a primer – check out our Social Media 101 blog and we will walk you through some tips and ideas of what to do and how to build a following. You can also browse through our ever-growing Blog to find other helpful information.

Because pop-upcinema.com is about you, the filmgoer, the pop-up cinema business owner, and those who want to rent a cinema for their own event (i.e. event planners, festival runners, fundraisers, educators and corporations) we are foregoing the traditional ABOUT US page.

These are the answers to the most commonly asked questions we get:

What is a pop-up cinema?

It is any temporary or mobile cinema that is generally set up at the beach, parks, roof-tops, school grounds, sports clubs, backyards, shopping malls, city centres, wine cellars – pretty much anywhere you can think of. Although to be fair we do include the traditional drive-in.

How did it all start for you?

The original Pop-Up Cinema business started hosting outdoor cinema events across South Africa. They soon discovered the power of “film” in bringing people together, educating, entertaining and inspiring. They also realized there was a lack of access to traditional cinemas so started manufacturing, selling and renting pop-up cinema screens across Africa. The founder has refocused to commit to this full-time to continue their vision to “take film out of the theatre and bring it to the people”. Not only do pop-up cinemas benefit audiences, but they create job opportunities and expand the reach of adjacent small businesses (food vendors, etc.).

Why did you evolve to a directory listing site?

As small business owners ourselves, we know firsthand how exhausting and costly it can be to reach an audience. And as filmgoers, it was really difficult to find local pop-up cinemas because Google can be tricky sometimes. As there was no global pop-up cinema directory site, it was obvious, we just had to create one. If you build it they will come.

How can a simple directory listing site make a difference?

Ahem, we’re no ordinary listing site – the awesome directory forms one part of the site and the rest is dedicated to supporting cinema business owners and those itching to bring the magic of the outdoor cinema experience to their communities. Here’s an explanation of why pop-up cinema owners should consider listing on the directory.

Who is on the team?

You are. Oh, you mean who works feverishly behind the scenes? We’re a cast of passionate creatives and analytical A-type personality wranglers. We have experience in a cross-section of business genres – event planning, business strategy, acting, producing, directing and writing films, communication, marketing, IT, AV, FOMO and so much more. The one thing we have in common is our love of people, film and biltong [that’s the local South African version of beef jerky for our North American readers].

What makes you “tick”?

Helping you.

Seeing pop-up cinema businesses succeed. Read some success stories here.

The faces of an entertained audience.

Community engagement and growth.

Has COVID-19 impacted the industry?

Yes, in a positive way! Pop-up cinemas are uniquely positioned to be able to comply with the health and safety rules and have opened doors of opportunity for communities in developed and developing countries. Not only does pop-up cinema bring hope and joy to people and screen time to films that might be forgotten, but it also CREATES JOBS. That’s why we have witnessed rapid growth in the market over the past year with more and more pop-up cinema companies emerging across the globe. The industry is forecast to grow at more than 19% to be valued at 1.97 Billion Dollars by 2025.

What are your plans for the future?

The sky’s the limit, wink wink nudge nudge, say no more! Expanding the directory, our support resources and building a global network of pop-up cinema businesses will mean we can start to explore group offers and discounts for members. And, we want to create an avenue for patrons to sponsor pop-up cinema entrepreneurs. Other things on our to-do list include cool new features for listing owners, advertising opportunities, translations, and naturally we will be looking to develop a mobile App.

How can someone start their own pop-up cinema business?

Thanks to new technology and the invention of the inflatable screen, owning your own pop-up cinema business has never been easier. Most screen suppliers will provide everything you need to host your own cinema events. Read more about how you can get started here.

FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION…

We’ve done our best to make it easy for filmgoers to find a pop-up cinema in your area to attend, for event organizers and party planners to find out where to rent equipment, and we can assist those who want to start their own pop-up cinema business.

Unlike A Few Good Men – we CAN handle the truth, if you cannot find what you are looking for or have any tips or stories that will benefit the pop-up cinema community, please let us know. We would love to hear from you.

If we haven’t answered your question here then FAQ us!