PaperAirplane Movie Theater Company Sees Hanger Platform Hit 2M Downloads

EXCLUSIVE: The Hangar, the digital asset management platform from exhibitor and distributor theatrical marketing corp PaperAirplane, has clocked over 2 million downloads.

The Hangar is a first-of-its-kind digital interface that connects exhibitors with studio partners whereby the former can access movie marketing materials. Lionsgate distribution vets Mike Polydoros and Will Preuss opened the doors to PaperAirplane and launched The Hangar at the height of the pandemic in October 2020 when only a handful of cinemas were open.

Their mission was to solve a longstanding challenge for exhibitors: to quickly and efficiently access approved marketing materials from studio partners. The company works with every major studio, exhibitor and theatrical content provider in North America as well as Imax, Dolby, CJ 4DPlex (ScreenX), DBox and Coca-Cola. Since its creation, The Hangar’s volume of digital marketing assets has increased more than fivefold.

“When we launched The Hangar back in 2020, we had no idea we would be creating a vital piece of industry infrastructure,” said Polydoros, Co-Founder and CEO of PaperAirplane Media. “We were simply trying to solve a very real problem exhibitors faced in accessing approved marketing materials. Seeing the platform surpass two million downloads is a testament to the collaboration between studios and exhibitors, and to the industry’s commitment to making theatrical marketing more efficient and effective.”

“Our studio partners immediately recognized the value of having greater visibility into how marketing assets were being utilized,” added Preuss, President and Co-Founder of PaperAirplane Media. “For the first time, they could clearly see which assets were driving engagement and which materials were not being used. That insight has helped create more efficient campaigns, stronger collaboration, and better outcomes across the theatrical marketplace.”

“Our mission remains simple,” added Polydoros. “We want to simplify workflows, strengthen campaigns, and provide studios and exhibitors with the tools they need to maximize theatrical attendance. Crossing the two-million-download milestone validates that vision and motivates us to continue innovating for the industry we love.”

Other services offered by PaperAirplane include The Tower, a group sales management platform that centralizes communication, streamlines lead management, and provides real-time visibility into group sales activity. To date, The Tower has managed more than 10,000 group sales leads and helped facilitate millions of dollars in theatrical group sales revenue across multiple film campaigns.

The company also has Flight Plan, a theatrical distribution campaign dashboard designed to give distribution and marketing teams a centralized view of every component of a theatrical release, and make more informed decisions throughout a title’s theatrical lifecycle. The platform aggregates campaign activity across several channels and initiatives, providing studios with instant visibility into key marketing, promotional, exhibitor, media, and performance metrics through a single interface.

In addition, PaperAirplane has produced nearly 75,000 studio-approved digital marketing assets for major studio campaigns and has worked directly with independent distributors to support exhibitor marketing initiatives for more than 250 theatrical releases. Those films have collectively generated nearly a half billion in domestic box office.

Earlier this year, PaperAirplane expanded further with its National Radio & Media Ambassador Division, connecting theatrical campaigns with local radio personalities and media ambassadors in North America.

The company has also introduced The Kiosk, a grassroots audience activation platform that empowers moviegoers to serve as advocates within their communities, helping studios generate word-of-mouth awareness and attendance.

News about PaperAirplane’s milestone with The Hangar comes during Cinema United’s Fall Summit conference with exhibitors.

Other stats about The Hangar:

–Social media videos repped the most downloaded asset this summer, repping 27% of all downloads. Social Media Graphics followed at 23%, while Digital Lobby Posters comprised 19% of downloads. Web Banners accounted for 12%, and Production Stills represented approximately 8%, underscoring the growing importance of digital audience engagement and localized marketing efforts.

–Annual asset additions increased from 2,454 assets in 2020 to more than 61,000 assets in 2025.

–Industry partners increased from 11 to more than 105 studios, distributors and content partners between PaperAirplane’s launch and today. The company covers 27 global territories with The Hangar now averaging around 360 unique users daily, 1,000 weekly users, and 1,800 monthly users.