Younger viewers are reviving the box office growth

Hollywood can breathe a sigh of relief: Gen Z isn’t just going to the movies, they’re also driving box office growth.

During the pandemic, as movie theaters closed and streaming became a dominant force in the media landscape, fears grew that this group of young people would shy away from the big screen as they evolved into more engaged consumers.

But this generation, ages 14 to 29, is one of the most active movie-going demographics and watches more movies per year than some older generations, according to data from Fandango.

Fandango found that in 2025, members of Generation Z watched an average of seven movies in theaters (compared to the average viewership of Millennials), while members of Generation X and baby boomers watched an average of six movies.

“Generation Z is driving the trends of moviegoers today, and I think people are shocked,” said Jason Dorsey, president and co-founder of The Center for Generational Kinetics and co-author of the book “Zconomy.” “They say, ‘Oh, Gen Z doesn’t want to leave their homes.’ That’s not true. Gen Z definitely wants to leave their homes; probably more than you think.”

Gen Z would make up nearly 40% of all movie viewers in North America by 2025, according to data from Comscore.

As teens and 20-somethings become the dominant generation at the box office, they are also shaping the future of moviegoing; Studios and movie theaters are also aware of this situation.

“Not only are we seeing an increasingly larger percentage of Gen Zers making up our overall audience, but we are also seeing their frequency increase year over year,” said Carrie Trotter, senior vice president of marketing. AMChe told CNBC. “So they have become one of the most important audiences for us, and I see them definitely becoming the most important audience for us in the future.”

What has helped fuel Gen Z’s interest in cinema is that it remains one of the cheapest forms of entertainment.

“Ticket prices have gone up, but when you compare that to the annual inflation rate, it’s about the same if not less,” said Steve Buck of EntTelligence, a movie data firm. “When you think about Gen Z, they are cost conscious, but they are also opening up their wallets.”

Generation Z came of age during Covid, which Dorsey calls a “generation-defining experience.” This group has never known a time without social media or smartphones, he said, and they are incredibly cost-conscious, having grown up in a time of great uncertainty.

“Covid disrupted all their plans,” Dorsey said. “They were going to school, they were going to college… everything fell apart and it went on for a long time. So we see them as being much more financially conscious. I would say overall, they’re really conservative with money, much more frugal than we would expect from someone their age.”

This has led a significant portion of Generation Z to choose movie theater loyalty programs, such as AMC’s A-list, Regal Unlimited and Cinemark’s Movie Club, that reward them for the money they spend or allow them to watch more than one movie per month for a subscription fee.

“Gen Zers are over-indexing in the AMC A-List tier, and their engagement has tripled since the pandemic,” Trotter said, noting that AMC’s program also allows customers to book tickets for other loyalty members who are part of their friend groups.

“We’re trying to make it as seamless as possible so we can encourage going to the movies and that social atmosphere as much as possible,” he said.

Alex DelVecchio, general manager of the Rutgers Cinema in Piscataway, New Jersey, keeps ticket prices low for students at nearby Rutgers University. Students who show school ID pay only $5 for matinee screenings and $9.50 for all other general admissions. That’s slightly cheaper than the nationwide average of $13.50, according to EntTelligence.

“We try to keep it as cheap as we can,” DelVecchio said.

But it’s not all about affordability. DelVecchio also said he is running promotions like free slushi on Wednesdays and looking for ways to appeal to his predominantly college-aged consumer.

For Warner Bros. release.’ In 2017’s “It: Chapter One,” DelVecchio said the company placed a clown in every movie theater, hung red balloons around campus and had a staff member wear a yellow jacket and play with a paper boat outside to mimic iconic scenes from the movie.

“We started selling everything,” he said. “And then once you get the momentum, you can keep it as long as you keep playing what they want.”

While Generation Z is picky about their spending, they’re willing to spend money on experiences, especially social activities they can do with friends that give them an excuse to disconnect from their phones.

“It’s a way for them to come and spend time with their friends and family, and that social experience really outweighs the movie itself that they’re watching,” Trotter said. “But there’s also a little bit of FOMO [fear of missing out]”It’s like they want to be a part of the excitement, and that fuels their fandom, their desire to be the first to see these movies and be part of the conversation as it goes on.”

Even though Generation Z likes to stay away from their phones during the movie, they still use social media to share their thoughts on movies and find out what others think of new and old releases.

Letterboxd, an online platform where moviegoers can keep track of movies they’ve watched and post reviews, has become so prevalent in this generation that Hollywood has begun calling Generation Z the Letterboxd generation in the same sense.

The site currently has more than 29 million users, more than half of whom are under the age of 35. Through Letterboxd, Gen Z relies on community reviews rather than official film critics when choosing which movies to watch in theaters.

According to EntTelligence’s data, “A Minecraft Movie”, adapted from the popular online game, became the most watched movie of Generation Z in 2025. Warner Bros. The film grossed more than $424 million domestically during its run; it was the second highest grossing of the year, grossing $960 million worldwide.