How Cinemark Centralized Execution Across 300+ U.S. Theatres

From emails and notes to streamlined, real-time task visibility. Cinemark partnered with ThinkTime to streamline communications and execution across hundreds of locations.

About Cinemark

Cinemark is one of the largest and most influential theatrical exhibition companies in the world, operating hundreds of locations across the U.S. and Central and South America. Since the theatres are not all the same — there are different styles, layouts, offerings, teams — there is complexity when it comes to communicating. In the past, when corporate teams needed to communicate with theatres, there was no centralized system, which made it difficult to track who received what, when tasks were completed, or where corresponding resources were archived.

Looking For A Better Way

Recognizing the need for structure, Cinemark conducted a rigorous RFP process with input from corporate teams, U.S. theatre GMs, and field leadership. ThinkTime stood out for its clean interface, simplicity, and a laser-focus on execution. Unlike other platforms, ThinkTime was user-friendly, and packed with practical tools that the Cinemark team needed to simplify their processes. One standout feature was the Nudge feature, which quickly became a fan favorite among field teams, helping to eliminate the need for constant follow-ups.

Change Starts From The Field

Cinemark didn’t simply flip a switch. Instead, they were intentional about change management to ensure that rolling out a new and different system across its domestic theaters would be as seamless as possible. Cinemark piloted a rollout with a group of theatres who helped shape the process, hosted training calls, including live demos, and shared best practices with their peers. These early adopters became champions, both for the technology as well as the operational discipline it enhanced within the organization.

After a successful pilot, the national rollout happened region by region, with support from both corporate as well as the field.

Key to their success:

‍Vendor selection included corporate and field partners
Peer-led training and demos and best practice sharing
Pilot groups who helped shape rollout strategy
Two-week transition windows to sunset legacy systems

“The GMs who piloted the rollout didn’t just adopt the system, they owned it. They ran the demos, shared what worked, and became go-to champions for their peers.”
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- VP Operations Administration
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A Platform That Just Works

Every new system has teething pains as users start to learn, but from the start ThinkTime felt user-friendly to the teams at Cinemark. Field leaders noted how intuitive the software is, and the mobile app helps make it easy to stay on top of tasks wherever they are.

Since the launch of ThinkTime, Cinemark has seen the following results:

Corporate-distributed tasks have 98% completion rates
Corporate-distributed tasks have 88% completed-on-time rates
Survey response rates across the field have increased

Perhaps, most importantly, theatre teams have one centralized place to help prioritize, plan, and execute tasks without receiving multiple email messages throughout the day. This means no more time spent on searching for communications or documents needed to complete their tasks. Teams have clear visibility into task ownership and accountability.

A Single Source of Truth

In the past, supporting documentation and/or resources were available in different online document repositories. Now, the majority of resource documents live in ThinkTime’s Knowledge Base, and it’s searchable with just a keyword. Teams no longer wonder where to find what they need, they simply open ThinkTime, search, and go - saving time and effort.

“The questions used to be: ‘Which email was that in? Where is the material located ? Now, with Universal Search, you just type in a word, and it provides results, regardless of whether it was in a task, an FYI, or Knowledge Base article. It saves a ton of time.”
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- Director Workload Management & Communications
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This centralization has also improved how field leadership’s interaction with their teams by providing visibility into required tasks and making follow-up and guidance easier. This increases visibility and understanding across all teams.

The Cinemark and ThinkTime Partnership

The ThinkTime team stayed closely engaged with Cinemark, meeting weekly in the early stages to ensure everything rolled out smoothly. Some enhancements were prioritized based on real-world feedback, and despite being a complex, non-traditional retail model, Cinemark felt heard.

“We are a unique business, and ThinkTime has adapted to our needs and pushed updates that reflect what we’re asking for. That partnership has been key.”
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‍- VP Operations Administrations‍

Cinemark led the rollout with a clear strategy: keep it simple, involve the field, and build a system that works in the real world. ThinkTime supported that approach with a platform designed for ease of use and day-to-day execution. Together, they’ve replaced a fragmented process with a consistent, scalable system that has improved visibility, accountability, and execution across the organization.

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