Build accessibility into the cinema programme, not around it
Midlands Arts Centre’s Expanding the Frame project treated accessibility as a programming, audience-development and organisational system. The published case study reports attendance above its year-three estimate, while leaving cost, revenue and long-term retention questions open.
Published 8/3/2026
The idea
Treat accessibility as a continuous programme system spanning screening formats, representation, marketing, customer feedback, staff knowledge, technology and partnerships.
Evidence
An ICO case study published on 3 July 2026 describes the three-year programme and reports more than 7,000 accessible-screening attendances in year three against an estimate of about 2,700. Costs, net revenue and long-term retention are not published.
Operator takeaway
The adaptable lesson is the operating model: accessible screenings are more credible when they have desirable slots, clear information, appropriate trailers, trained staff and active relationships with disabled audiences.
Try this
Audit the next 12 weeks of programming against accessible formats, representation, booking clarity, partner routes, staff confidence and feedback collection. Start with one recurring strand and one disability-sector partner.
Measure
Track attendance by access format, first-time visitors, repeat visits, partner referrals, booking failures, customer-service contacts, complaints and staff confidence.
Watch out for
A higher number of accessible screenings does not by itself prove that access has improved. Format availability, projection accuracy, customer information and follow-up all affect whether the experience works.
What they are doing
Midlands Arts Centre used Expanding the Frame to move accessibility from the edge of the programme into its routine decision-making. The project increased audio-described, descriptive-subtitled, relaxed and sensory screenings; used more desirable time slots; reviewed technology and trailers; strengthened representation on screen; worked with specialist partners; and gathered feedback directly from disabled audience members.
Why it caught our attention
The interesting feature is the combination. Accessibility is not presented as one screening label or a compliance exercise. Programming, marketing, staff behaviour, customer communication, technical delivery and audience relationships are treated as connected parts of the same experience.
How it works
The programme created repeated opportunities for audiences to see accessible screenings in normal, attractive slots. It also used surveys, event conversations and customer correspondence to identify problems. The case study describes practical changes, including descriptive-subtitle terminology, updated audio-description technology, subtitled trailers where available and follow-up when delivery failed.
What another cinema might adapt
A cinema could begin with a 12-week access audit rather than a large new programme. Review every planned screening for format availability, website clarity, trailer accessibility, staff readiness, physical access, sensory conditions and relevant representation. Add one recurring strand and one partner organisation, then refine the offer from audience feedback.
Questions to consider
Which access needs are currently least well served? Are accessible screenings placed at times audiences can realistically attend? Can customers identify the exact format before booking? Who checks the correct version is played? Which local organisations could advise, refer audiences or co-design activity?
What could be measured
Measure attendance by format and title, first-time and returning customers, partner referrals, booking abandonment, enquiries, complaints, delivery errors and staff confidence. Compare repeat behaviour over several months rather than judging the work from a single well-attended event.
What is currently known
The published case study reports that MAC expected about 2,700 attendances across accessible screenings in the project’s third year and recorded more than 7,000. It also provides detailed implementation learning and describes accessibility as a dialogue with audiences.
What has not yet been reported
The open material does not provide a full project cost, net revenue, contribution by intervention, customer-retention analysis or a comparison with a matched non-project period. The attendance figure is useful reach evidence, but it does not establish profitability or isolate which changes drove the result.
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