A great film on the big screen can stay with you long after the credits roll. Yet cinemas worldwide are struggling to fill seats amid the dominance of streaming.
Multinational cinema operator Vue is working to bring audiences back by reminding them of the power of the big screen experience. The company released an ad directed by Academy Award-winning filmmaker Taika Waititi that visualizes how stories, emotions, and characters from movies live on long after the lights come up.
Billed as a love letter to cinema, “Feel It Forever” follows cinemagoers as they are pursued by characters from the films they’ve watched throughout their lives, spanning rom-com, sci-fi, film noir, and action. Each character matches their genre and era: an 80s figure carries an analog VHS screen effect and noise, while a Wild West character has a dusty sepia grade evoking Technicolor.
The ad opens on two strangers making eye contact on a city street, each trailed by a long line of screen characters who mirror their every move. Aerial shots pull back to reveal this happening all around them.
The original couple eventually meets at a Vue theater for a first date. After watching a film called Running West, two cowboys appear behind them.
The two-minute film will air before all screenings across Vue’s European locations, launching in the U.K. and Ireland on May 1 before rolling out to the Netherlands, Germany, Italy, Denmark, Poland, and Lithuania. The campaign will also run on social, connected TV, and digital channels.
This marks agency Hijinks’ first work for Vue since its appointment as the cinema group’s creative agency in 2024, having previously handled branding and identity. Hijinks worked alongside production company Hungryman on location in New Zealand and London.
The campaign is part of Vue’s broader push to revitalize its brand and drive audiences back to theaters. According to the International Union of Cinemas (UNIC), European cinema admissions fell 5.3% in 2025 to 863.6 million, a decline attributed to the rise of streaming, higher ticket prices, and an inconsistent slate of major releases.
“Feel It Forever “ is Vue’s first brand campaign since 2020, when it partnered with Star Wars actor John Boyega to remind people why cinema is a vital escape.
