A drive-in typically pays the distributor a percentage of admissions while keeping concession sales. Multiplying cars by the admission price and the film share gives the rental owed, and the net adds concessions to the admissions the theater keeps.
A Friday with 85 cars at $28 and a 50% film share owes $1,190.00 in rental and nets $2,380.00 after concessions.
The example
Three worked examples. Change any yellow input in the practice workbook and the results recalculate.
| A | B | C | D | E | F | G | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Case | Cars | Admission | Film share | Concessions | Film rental | Net |
| 2 | Friday | 85 | $28 | 50.0% | $14 | $1,190.00 | $2,380.00 |
| 3 | Saturday | 110 | $28 | 50.0% | $16 | $1,540.00 | $3,300.00 |
| 4 | Weeknight | 40 | $24 | 35.0% | $11 | $336.00 | $1,064.00 |
The formula
Here is the formula, built directly from the inputs:
How it works
Here is the logic, one piece at a time:
B2*C2is gross admissions.*D2is the distributor's cut.C2*(1-D2)is admission kept per car.+E2adds concession spend per car.
Keep every number in its own input cell so the formula never needs editing.
Try it: interactive demo
Enter the values below.
Variations
Guarantee floor
Pay the larger of share or guarantee.
Concession share
Concessions as a share of net.
Pitfalls & errors
Film contracts often use sliding scales or minimum guarantees; check yours.
Enter the share as 50% or 0.5.
Track concessions per car; they usually carry the margin.
Practice workbook
Frequently asked questions
Is the share on gross admissions?
Can I add labor?
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