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Gen Z Is Increasingly Going To The Movies
Welcome, fellow youths // Illustration by Kate Walker
A study by Cinema United — the largest exhibition trade organization in the world — found that Gen Z is going to the movies more than any other generation.
The Big Picture: While the popular belief is that young people are staying home to stream movies rather than heading out to see them on the big screen, the reality is more complicated. Young people are actually going to the movies more — they’re just more selective about which films are worth the big-screen experience and which can be enjoyed from the comfort of the couch.
Behind The Scenes: Despite the streaming revolution of the past decade, Gen Z is discovering going to the movies is pretty great, too.
They went to the movies an average of 6.1 times per year, up from 4.9 times in 2024.
About 41% of them went to the movies six or more times, up from 30% in 2022.
Overall, Gen Z attendance is up a whopping 25% compared to last year.
That shift has been driven by more premium large-format screenings, in-seat food and drink service, and increasingly comfortable seating.
When it comes to the movies themselves, the rise in horror, anime, and video-game adaptations has been the biggest booster of attendance.
Roll Credits: Despite overall movie-theater attendance still sitting 23% below 2019 levels (COVID really did change habits), there are encouraging signs of an upswing. The number of people who saw more than six films this year — what Cinema United defines as “habitual moviegoing” — is up 8%. And with the number of wide-release films set to increase to 115 next year (up from 111 this year and 94 in 2024), those numbers could climb even higher.
When it comes to cinema: the more, the merrier.
Coming Soon: Knowing that Gen Z is plugged into the theatergoing experience, more companies may build divisions focused on marketing to this generation of digital natives… just as Warner Bros. announced yesterday.
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Today’s email was written by David Vendrell.
Edited by Nick Comney. Polled and Copy-edited by Kait Cunniff.
Published by Darline Salazar.