A Film distributor is an independent company, a subsidiary company or occasionally an individual, which acts as the final agent between a film production company or some intermediary agent, and a film exhibitor, to the end of securing placement of the producer's film on the exhibitor's screen. Production company refers to the company responsible for the physical production of a motion picture. ... Film refers to the celluloid media on which movies are printed Film is a term that encompasses motion pictures as individual projects, as well as the field in general. ...

The primary agenda of the distributor is to convince the exhibitor to rent, or "book", each film. To this end the distributor may arrange a private screening for the exhibitor, or use other marketing techniques that will make the exhibitor believe he will profit financially by showing the film. Once this is accomplished, the distributor then secures a written contract stipulating the amount of the gross ticket sales to be paid to the distributor, collect the amount due, audit the exhibitor's ticket sales as necessary to ensure the gross reported by the exhibitor is accurate, secure the distributor's share of these proceeds, and transmit the remainder to the production company (or to any other intermediary, such as a film release agent). A contract is any legally-enforceable promise or set of promises made by one party to another and, as such, reflects the policies represented by freedom of contract. ...

The distributor must also insure that enough film prints are struck to service all contracted exhibitors on the contract-based opening day, insure their physical delivery to the theater by the opening day, and insure the prints' return to the distributor's office or other storage resource also on the contract-based return date.

Furthermore, the distributor is responsible for ensuring a full line of film advertising material is available on each film which it believes will help the exhibitor attract the largest possible audience, create such advertising if it is not provided by the production company, and arrange for the physical delivery of the advertising items selected by the exhibitor at intervals prior to the opening day.

If the distributor is handling an imported, foreign-language film, it may also be responsible for securing dubbing or subtitling for the film, and securing censorship or other legal or organizational "approval" for the exhibition of the film in the country/territory in which it does business, prior to approaching the exhibitors for booking.

This is an incomplete and general overview. The actual practices of film distributors may vary from this model at different points in time of the history of the film, and according to different national business practices affecting film distribution. Thus, a full explication of the subject "film distributor" must account for all periods and nations since the beginning of film, or limit itself to the study of specific times and lands.