Remember all the stories about the death of movie theaters? I do. I also remember Gen Z receiving a good chunk of the blame. But it turns out, the generation accused of killing the movies might be the ones who end up keeping the old school cinema experience alive.
A survey of over 5,000 U.S. adults conducted by Fandango found that 87% of Gen Z saw at least one movie in theaters in 2025, compared to 82% of Millennials, 78% of Gen X, and 58% of Baby Boomers. Gen Z also went to the movies more frequently than older generations, an average of seven times. Many of the most financially successful films in recent years owe a big part of their success to younger generations showing up en masse, and sometimes for multiple viewings.
Movie theaters may never reclaim the place they once held in American life. We have a lot more entertainment options now. Yet even with all that competition, the generation supposedly incapable of sitting through anything longer than a fifteen second video is going to movies that can run as long as three hours.
So what is going on? Why does Gen Z love going to the movies?
Let’s start with the most obvious answer. Regardless of generation, the quality of content matters, especially given the cost of a movie ticket. Home viewing keeps getting better too, with bigger screens, better sound systems, and a seemingly endless list of streaming options. If filmmakers want people to leave the house and pay for a ticket, they need to make something worth the trip. Indeed, in the Fandango survey, Gen Z respondents indicated that having a good selection of films is a big reason they go to the movies.
But where the story gets interesting, in my opinion, is the more psychological and social motivations inspiring young moviegoers. Specifically, getting out of the house and having more social activities were the other two primary factors Gen Z respondents pointed to when explaining why they are going to the movies. Consistent with this, Gen Z were more likely than other groups to indicate that they combine moviegoing with other social activities such as going out to eat.
Further indicating that getting out and gathering with others is a main motivator, nearly 90% of Gen Z respondents expressed a strong interest in watching alternative content in theaters such as movie re-releases, sporting events, concert films, and TV show premieres or finales. Gen Z might have grown up in the era of computer-mediated life but like previous generations of young people they are hungry for opportunities to leave the house and hang out with their friends.
This is where nostalgia becomes relevant. Nostalgia is universal, not confined to any particular age group. But younger generations are especially nostalgic for eras that predate them, what is called historical nostalgia. In research my team at the Human Flourishing Lab has conducted, most Gen Z adults report feeling drawn to the media, styles, and traditions of decades they never lived through, and most say revisiting these eras helps them manage current stress and anxiety about the future.
Gen Z is not alone in this. Millennials and Gen X also report high levels of historical nostalgia. But Gen Z, as digital natives, may be especially motivated to actually act on it. Most Gen Z adults say they are worried about social media’s effect on mental and social health, and that they feel too dependent on technology. Gen Z is also the generation most actively cutting back, taking breaks from social media and setting limits on their screen use.
This is driving what I have described in previous newsletters and in outlets like the New York Times and Big Think as the real-world renaissance, the return to in-person, analog experiences at a time when so much of daily life is mediated by screens.
A movie theater still involves a screen, but the experience is a lot different than scrolling on your phone. You choose what to watch ahead of time, put your phone away, and give it your full attention alongside everyone else in the room. It is a planned outing, one where you and your friends or family sit down together and share something from start to finish.
Given Gen Z’s sentimentality toward eras before their time, it should come as no surprise that many of the movies they love lean into that same retro feel. Backrooms is set in an earlier decade and looks the part. Obsession centers on a cursed artifact straight out of an earlier era, and its score has an 80s-style synth sound.
Gen Z’s growing love of moviegoing is also a good reminder that we are often wrong about how new technology will ultimately change our lives. For years, the prevailing assumption was that social media and streaming would finish off the theatrical experience for good. Instead, these platforms are now a big part of what is bringing people back to the movies.
According to the Fandango data, social media is the number one way Gen Z and Millennial moviegoers discover new films, ahead of trailers, clips, and posters. Apps like Letterboxd, where people log and review what they watch, have grown into popular online communities, especially among younger moviegoers. Obsession and Backrooms were made by young creators, Curry Barker and Kane Parsons, who built their audiences on YouTube before making a feature film.
Social media is typically characterized as a barrier to in-person social life but it doesn’t have to be. People regularly use these platforms to organize and promote real life events.
Maybe we will not always come together in movie theaters. But we will always feel the need to gather. We may forget that from time to time, but nostalgia has a way of reminding us.
Have a great weekend!
Clay
Heard you on WHYY with Marty Moss Coane's podcast. What a great show, great voice. I had to find what you have written. thank you!