Cinemaris︎

What Cinemaris︎ does

Cinemaris (シネマリス) is a privately operated, two-screen mini-theater cinema that opened on December 19, 2025 in Tokyo's Kanda-Jimbocho-Ochanomizu cultural district (Chiyoda ward), at the basement of the ilusa building, 3 minutes' walk from Jimbocho Station. The venue comprises Theater 1 (67 seats, red) and Theater 2 (64 seats, blue) for 131 seats total, equipped with NEC NC603L digital projection and 7.1-channel Meyer Sound ULTRA-X40 and Electro-Voice TS940S audio systems respectively. Cinemaris screens curated independent, classic, and international cinema across Asian (Iranian, Taiwanese, Indian, Korean), European, and Latin American catalogs, complemented by director talk events, themed retrospectives (e.g., Tarkovsky Night, Frammartino trilogy, Leslie Cheung program), and all-night screening packages.

Cinemaris generates revenue through three streams: per-ticket sales for regular and special screenings (¥1,400-2,000 depending on film type and customer status), a recurring subscription membership ("サブスク会員") granting 3-day versus 2-day priority booking and member-only screenings, and concessions including coffee, café latte, chai, soft drinks, cinema cookies, and themed snacks tied to retrospectives (e.g., Russian tea and sweets during Tarkovsky events). Distribution channels are direct-to-consumer: a proprietary online ticketing platform integrated with the official website (cinemalice.theater) and a walk-in box office.

The business was capitalized through a 71-day Motion Gallery crowdfunding campaign (June-August 2025) that raised ¥21,439,800 from 1,479 supporters at 293% of target, providing both seed capital and a built-in community of early adopters. Content is sourced via distributor partnerships with MARCH Inc., Tendral LLC, 台湾映畫社 (Taiwan Films), なんどり (South Indian restaurant-turned-distributor), Pandora, Victoria 1842, and Gold Harbour International Films. The venue operates accessibility features including UD Cast audio guides, Japanese subtitles, wheelchair-accessible seating and restrooms, and step-free elevator access — positioning accessibility as a differentiator within Tokyo's mini-theater segment.

Name

Cinemaris︎

Legal name

シナリスク

Website

https://cinemalice.theater

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Cinemaris is a privately operated, two-screen (131-seat) mini-theater cinema in Tokyo's Kanda-Jimbocho district, screening curated independent, classic, and international films with director talk events, subscription membership, and accessibility features for local cinema enthusiasts.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Art House Cinema Services

NAICS

Motion Picture Theaters (except Drive-Ins) (512131)

SIC

Services-Motion Picture Theaters (7830)

akta.pro primary industry

Independent & Art-house Cinemas (MPADAKAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Cinema Concessions & On-site F&B Operations (MPADAKAN), Cinema & Movie Ticketing (HSACALAD)

Keywords

• Art house cinema
• Independent film theater
• Cinema membership subscription
• Film screening services
• Mini theater exhibitions

Headquarters

HQ city

Tokyo

HQ country

Japan

HQ region

Asia

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Movie Ticket Sales: Revenue generated from ticket sales for regular screenings, special screenings, and director talk events. Standard pricing is 1,600-2,000 yen depending on film type, with subscription members receiving priority booking.
2. Subscription Membership: Monthly/annual subscription membership providing access to special screenings, priority booking privileges, and exclusive member benefits.
3. Concession Sales: Sales of food and beverages including coffee, café latte, chai, Coca-Cola, ginger ale, and cinema cookies at the theater lobby lounge.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Cinemaris operates a two-screen mini-theater (67-seat red Theater 1 and 64-seat blue Theater 2) in Tokyo's Jimbocho/Ochanomizu district, screening curated independent, international, and classic films. The business runs a recurring subscription membership (サブスク会員) providing priority ticket booking, hosts director talk events and special retrospectives, sells food and beverages in its theater lounge, and offers barrier-free screenings with Japanese subtitles and UD Cast audio guides.

Product overview

Cinemalisは東京都千代田区の神保町・お茶の水エリアに位置するミニシア터를営む企業。2025年12月19日に開業し、67席のシアターヌー1（赤い劇場）と64席のシアターヌー2（青い劇場）の2館体制で運営。全席指定制の映画上映サービスを提供し、ロードショー・特集上映・サブスク上映作品等多种の上映形式に対応する。映画評論家・監督・出演者招いたトークイベント、応援上映、オールナイト上映等の特別イベントを実施。施設面ではNEC NC603Lデジタル映写機・Meyer Sound / Electro-Voiceの高品質音響システムを導入。バリアフリー対応としてUD Cast音声ガイド・日本語字幕を提供。Motion Galleryによるクラウドファンディングで支援総額2,143万9,800円・1,479名支援を達成して開業した。

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Movie Screenings All-seat-reserved screenings of curated regular, roadshow, and special films priced 1,800-2,000 yen, sold online and at the box office, available to individual cinema-goers.
• Subscription Membership (サブスク会員) Recurring subscription membership giving individual members priority ticket purchasing (3 days advance vs. 2 days for non-members), exclusive subscriber screenings, and 1,400 yen pricing for special events.
• Concession Food and Beverage Service Sales of coffee, café latte, chai, Coca-Cola, ginger ale, and cinema cookies in the theater lobby lounge, with Russian tea and Russian sweets added during Tarkovsky retrospectives, available to cinema patrons.
• Director Talk Events and Special Screenings Post-screening talk events with invited directors, critics, and actors; themed retrospectives (Tarkovsky, Iranian films, Hong Kong cinema, Leslie Cheung); all-night screening packages; and cheer-style (応援) screenings for individual audiences.
• Barrier-Free Accessibility Screenings Screenings offered with Japanese subtitles and UD Cast audio guide support for deaf and hard-of-hearing audiences, plus wheelchair-accessible seating and restrooms, available to individual cinema-goers.

Quantifiable outcome

• Crowdfunding achieved 293% of goal with 1,479 supporters, demonstrating strong community validation

Named customers6 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and flagship.

• テンドラル合同会社 (Tendral LLC)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 3 July 2026Distributor of Indian films screened at Cinemaris, including 'Rhythm of Passion: Mridangam' and 'Sense and Sensibility' (adapted from Jane Austen). Their representative Inoue Noriko appears at talk events.
• Victoria 1842flagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 28 March 2026Hong Kong cultural platform co-hosting Leslie Cheung special screenings and photo exhibition 'Leslie Cheung — 誰能代替你地位?' in partnership with Gold Harbour International Films Ltd. Located in Shinjuku, Tokyo.
• Gold Harbour International Films LtdflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 28 March 2026Hong Kong-based film production and distribution company (established 1991) co-hosting the Leslie Cheung special event program promoting international cultural exchange.
• マーチ (MARCH Inc.)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorFilm distributor handling titles including 'Aurora's Tears' (Scotland) and 'Pig That Survived Foot-and-Mouth Disease' (Korea). Representative Tanabe Haruhiko appears at talk events.
• 台湾映画社 (Taiwan Films)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorDistributor of Taiwanese films, handling 'Red Thread: Secret of Reincarnation' directed by Giddens Ko, with co-distribution by Taiwan Film Enthusiasts Society.
• なんどりcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorTokyo Arakawa-based South Indian restaurant that acquired distribution rights for Indian films. They provided films for Cinemaris' Indian cinema programming and their representative appears at talk events.
• パンドラ (Pandora)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorDistributor handling Tarkovsky retrospective films screened at Cinemaris, including 'Tarkovsky Night' all-night event.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Euro Space: Long-running independent mini-theater in Shibuya, Tokyo, specializing in art-house and director-focused programming. Closest comparable in terms of scale (single small-screen venue), curated programming philosophy, and target audience of independent-cinema enthusiasts.
• UPLINK: Tokyo-based art-house cinema operator with multiple small-screen venues showing independent, classic, and international films. Directly comparable business model — curated independent cinema exhibition with membership/event components.
• Theatre Shinjuku: Shinjuku-based mini-theater focused on independent, classic, and Asian cinema programming. Closely comparable venue size, audience (cinephiles/film enthusiasts), and curatorial approach centered on retrospectives and director events.
• Cinema Vera: Small independent cinema in Tokyo specializing in art-house and director-focused programming. Comparable single-venue, small-screen mini-theater format serving the same cinephile target segment.
• K's cinema: Independent mini-theater chain in Japan focused on art-house, classic, and international cinema. Comparable venue format, curated programming model, and independent-cinema enthusiast audience.

Broad incumbents

• Bunkamura Le Cinema: Established Tokyo art-house cinema inside the Bunkamura cultural complex in Shibuya. Overlaps on independent/international programming but operates as part of a broader cultural venue with significantly larger footprint and recognition.
• Yebisu Garden Cinema: Premium art-house cinema in Ebisu Garden Place, Tokyo, showing independent, classic, and foreign films. Competes for the same cinephile audience but with broader recognition and additional premium-format capabilities.
• TOHO Cinemas: Japan's dominant cinema chain operating large-format multiplexes across Tokyo and nationally. Dominant incumbent setting mainstream cinema prices and programming, against which Cinemaris positions with curated/niche content.
• Iwanami Hall: Long-established small cinema venue in Tokyo connected to Iwanami Shoten publishing, showing independent and cultural films. Comparable single-venue cultural-cinema positioning though smaller and more programming-narrow than Cinemaris.

Regional players

• T-Joy: Cinema operator with venues concentrated in regional Japan (Hakata and other locations outside Tokyo). Comparable cinema exhibition business but primarily serves non-Tokyo geography and does not directly compete for Cinemaris' central-Tokyo cinephile audience.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/CineMalice2024
• Facebookfacebook.com/profile.php

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Cinemaris︎