Kids and preteens may reinvigorate the theatrical movie business, at least according to a new study by entertainment researchers NRG.
The report found that Gen Alpha, which consists of children born from roughly 2013 to 2025, is more interested in seeing movies in the big screen than older consumers. Roughly 59% of members of that generation said they enjoy watching movies in theaters more than at home, compared to 48% of Gen Z (people born between 1997 and 2012), 45% of Millennials (people born between 1981 and 1996) and Gen X (people born between 1965 and 1980). The study’s authors suggest that the ubiquity of smartphones and streaming services has made younger consumers more interested in a night out at the multiplex.
“Unlike Millennials and older Gen Z-ers, who can still remember a time when watching movies at home meant going through the hassle of buying or renting a DVD or VHS tape, Gen Alpha is growing up in a world where on-demand is the default,” the authors write. “For them, there’s little novelty or excitement
to be found in an at-home movie night. By extension, that makes the experience of physically leaving the house and going to watch a movie in theaters feel all the more special.”
The data from the survey came from two studies of approximately 6,100 U.S. moviegoers between the ages of six to 60.
The report also found that Gen Alpha prefers to think of moviegoing as a social occasion. More
than half (55%) of Gen Alpha prefer seeing movies at the cinema with a group of friends, compared to just 31% of Millennials and 40% of Gen Z. And though the popular conception of younger people is that they are perpetually online and never far from their phones, the study found that fewer than
one-in-ten kids under 13 habitually use their phones in theaters. They also don’t appear to suffer from much shorter attention spans. Across the generations, most moviegoers say the ideal running time of a movie is just over two hours.
Given the social nature of moviegoing for younger customers, NRG asked Gen Alpha respondents about what franchises have the most cachet among their friends. It found that “Roblox” ranked first, with other video games like “Minecraft,” “Fortnight,” “Grand Theft Auto” and “Pokemon” rounding out the top five. “The Avengers” took sixth place, “Super Mario Bros.” was in seventh, “Spider-Man” came in eighth, “Lego” captured ninth and “Madden NFL” finished the top ten.
Other franchises with a passionate core of Gen Alpha fans included “Wicked” (12th place), “Spider-Verse” (13th place), “Wednesday” (17th place), “Stranger Things” (19th place) and “Batman” (20th place). Many of these properties, including “Minecraft,” which was one of the year’s biggest blockbusters, have been made into movies or shows. Can a “Roblox” film far off?
The study makes it clear why the singalong version of “KPop Demon Hunters” was a box office hit when it was released in theaters months after the film debuted on streaming. Twenty nine percent of Gen Alpha moviegoers said they were interested in attending singalong screenings. However, the largest contingent (65%) said they preferred premium large formats like Imax and 54% said they wanted to see more 3D films or virtual reality experiences. Hmmm, if only all these things could be combined.
