First Run: a command centre for theatrical distribution

The platform modernising the first-run window, from Unique X

First Run is a cloud-native platform for theatrical film distribution built by Unique X, the cinema technology company whose software supports more than 40,000 screens in over 100 countries. Launched at CineEurope in 2026 — and named for the opening window where a film meets its audience — it's designed to replace the legacy systems and spreadsheets that distribution teams have relied on for decades.

Where a distributor's first-run operation is traditionally spread across separate tools — one for bookings, one for box office, one for invoicing — First Run centralises it into a single command centre.

What it does

• Release and booking agreements — managed across multiple territories from one platform, rather than per-market silos.
• Box office integration — connects directly with box office aggregation platforms, so grosses flow into the system without manual re-keying.
• Automatic film rental calculation — the distributor's share of box office is calculated per agreement and invoiced to exhibitors automatically.
• Cross-border collaboration — teams releasing the same title into several countries work from shared data instead of parallel spreadsheets.
• Cloud-native, EU-hosted — no on-premise legacy infrastructure to maintain.

First adopter: Nordisk Film Distribution

Nordisk Film Distribution became the first distributor in the world to implement the platform, running its theatrical sales across Norway, Denmark, Sweden and Finland on the platform, with a phased rollout through summer 2026.

"Nordisk Film Distribution's teams can focus on releasing films instead of navigating legacy systems." — Eyvind Ljungquist, Executive Director, Content Services and Innovation Strategy, Unique X

Klaus Odegaard, Nordisk Film Distribution’s VP for Acquisition, Marketing and Theatrical Distribution, says the platform automates workflows, simplifies processes and enables cross-border collaboration.

Why it matters

The first run is the commercial heart of a film's life, and the operational load behind it — agreements, reporting, settlement — has barely modernised in thirty years. First Run is one of the first serious attempts to bring theatrical distribution onto modern cloud infrastructure, from a company already embedded across the cinema supply chain with products spanning content delivery, theatre management and cinema advertising.