Gen Z have copped a lot of flak over the years for everything from their increased screentime to dating decline, but also have been praised for other things like prioritising mental health and personal development, along with rejecting hustle culture and a healthy work-life balance.
In recent years, there has also been talk about them embracing cinemagoing – more so than the Gen X and Millennials who preceded them and who seem to be opting more for in-home options as they age.
Now, a new Fandango study reports that Gen Z are the ones keeping cinemas alive as they are the most active cinemagoing demographic, attending more films per year than their elders. They’re also spending more per visit on food and premium presentations.
The survey sampled 7,000 adults, 5,091 of whom considered themselves moviegoers who went to one or more movies in the past year.
It found 87% of Gen Zers and 82% of millennials saw at least one movie theatrically in the past 12 months, compared with 70% of Gen Xers and 58% of baby boomers.
Gen Z and millennials returned more frequently, with each averaging about seven visits per year, ahead of Gen X at 6.1 and baby boomers at 5.7.
The reasoning differs – Gen Z are treating cinemagoing primarily as a social activity and leaving the house for the communal aspect of a cinema as key reasons for attendance. For Millennials, the reasoning was more of an “escape from daily routine”. Gen X, meanwhile, cite fewer appealing releases and better at-home options as to why they are going less.
Across all generations, the main barrier to getting out to the movies isn’t cost or quality – it’s time. Specifically, difficulty in finding free time and coordinating schedules.
The survey found 76% of moviegoers are reportedly planning on seeing a movie in theaters between May and August with “Toy Story 5” topping the list, followed by “Spider-Man: Brand New Day,” “The Devil Wears Prada 2,” “The Odyssey” and “Scary Movie 6”.
Source: Variety
