Who said kids weren’t interested in movies anymore? According to the National Association of Theatre Owners’ new report “The Strength of Theatrical Moviegoing,” Gen Z remains enthusiastic about movies: among 10-24 year-olds, going to see a movie on opening weekend was the #1 preferred activity, regardless of time and money. The report looks at several metrics that show audiences’ embrace of moviegoing: consumer enthusiasm, investment in the marketplace, loyalty growth, more movies in theaters, and a wider genre mix with something for everyone.
Highlights of the report include the fact that 85% of moviegoers plan to go to the movies in 2025 as often or more often than they did in 2024. Similarly, 72% of those surveyed across 14 countries said they’re going to cinemas “more” or “the same” as six months ago. 76% of Americans 12-74 saw at least one movie in a theater this year, with loyalty programs seeing a 12% jump in new subscriptions from 2023 to 2024.
Gen Z moviegoers are the most active of any group, with 90% of females and 89% of males going to at least one movie a year, according to NRG — though males listed movies as their No. 2 favorite activity, behind video games.
Meanwhile, the report points out that Hispanic moviegoers continue to be strong supporters of moviegoing, and are 11% more likely to see prefer seeing a movie on opening weekend than the general moviegoing population. 27% of Hispanic moviegoers attend six movies a year or more.
NATO also projects that next year will see more movies released in 2,000 locations or more in the U.S., going from approximately 95 in 2024 to 110 in 2025. And many of them will be seen on bigger screens, with 37% more large format screens around the world than five years ago.
“Each week, the success, or failure of filmed entertainment is judged through the box office. This legacy tradition, however, does not paint a full picture of the strength of the industry nor of exhibition,” said NATO Chief Michael O’Leary. “To gauge the true viability of theatrical exhibition, you must look beyond the weekly numbers. In this report, with the help of multiple research partners, we lay out five metrics for determining the strength of the exhibition industry that factor in tandem with the box office.”
NATO also pointed out that theater owners have committed to spending more than $2.2 billion over the next three years on improvements in sound, projection and other areas.
