Highlights
- Gen Z theater attendance rose 25% in 2025, averaging 6.1 cinema visits, according to Cinema United’s exhibition report.
- Anime movies and video game adaptations like Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle and A Minecraft Movie are key drivers reshaping exhibition strategy.
- $1.5B investment in theater upgrades and a growing loyalty base position cinemas to sustain Gen Z momentum into the 2026 release slate.
A recent report from Cinema United, Strength of Theatrical Exhibition 2025, showed that younger audiences, especially Gen Z, are increasingly attending theatrical releases, with an average of 6.1 theatre visits per year in 2025. The report published on Dec 17, 2025, showed that Gen Z’s presence in movie theatres grew 25% in the last 12 months, largely driven by anime movies and video game adaptations.
The report also highlighted that not only the younger generation, but the number of habitual moviegoers (those seeing at least six films a year) also rose 8% year-over-year. 77% of Americans, which means more than 200 million people, aged 12-74, visited the theatre at least once. Even parents attending the theatre with kids increased from 6 visits to 7.2 visits on average over the course of the last 12 months.
Michael O’Leary, President and CEO of Cinema United, framed the data as evidence that expanded offerings and enhanced theatre experiences are building the moviegoing audience of tomorrow and that 2025’s data points to a “bright future for movies on the big screen.”
Gen Z was the Main Driver in Theater Appearance
A deepening slate of anime films and video game adaptations is emerging as a key driver of Gen Z’s increased theatre attendance, challenging earlier assumptions that younger audiences prefer streaming over theatrical experiences. Box office hits like Warner Bros.’ A Minecraft Movie, Sony’s Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle, and Chainsaw Man: Reze Arc were some titles that carried the under-30 crowd.
Previously, NBCUniversal Chairman Donna Langley stated, “it’s not like the ’90s where teens go to the mall and just see whatever movie is in theaters,” emphasizing the lack of enthusiasm among teens and young adults for going to movies. Cinema United’s report nullified such arguments, showing that Americans, aged between 10 and 24, prefer going to movies more than any other activity.
Among the Gen Z, at least 41% went for six movies in 2025, up from 31% in 2022, according to NRG’s Future of Film report. The growth is stated as a result of “a focus on films that young moviegoers want to see.” Additionally, a previously unreleased Gen Z-focused data from the Attention Equation report showed ongoing infrastructural upgradation in immersive moviegoing experiences and distinctive concessions boosted the Gen Z-driven crowd in theaters of U.S.
O’Leary noted that cinema owners have invested more than $1.5 billion USD in upgrades across North America over the past year, from premium large-format screens to enhanced concessions, to meet evolving consumer expectations. There was also a 15% increase in Loyalty Club Members since 2024.
Looking ahead to 2026, the industry anticipates another slate of anime and video game-based films poised to sustain Gen Z enthusiasm and bolster theatre revenue. Upcoming releases like the Street Fighter and Call of Duty adaptations, combined with Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle Part 2 and other anime movies, could again observe such a surge in the coming years.
