Rumours about the imminent demise of moviegoing may have been overstated, with 2026 now forecast to be the best year at the global box office since the start of the pandemic. And it is generation Z at the forefront of the cinema revival. According to a US-based survey by Fandango, gen Z are now the most frequent cinemagoers, with 87% saying they have seen at least one film in a cinema in the past 12 months. Millennials are close behind at 82%, followed by gen X at 70% and boomers at 58%. Gen Z also go more often than other cohorts, averaging around seven trips a year.
Gen Z – people born between 1997 and 2012 – grew up with near unlimited streaming and social media as their default entertainment. But after spending their lives in algorithm-driven digital spaces, many are beginning to tire of them. “As the internet becomes ever more pervasive, and in many ways ever more annoying, gen Z are looking for experiences beyond the black mirror,” say Benedict and Hannah Townsend, hosts of the film and TV podcast Talk of the Townsends. What gen Z are looking for is a “third space”: a social environment away from home and work. And for many, the cinema can fill that role.
“Going to the movies has become a way to connect with friends and share the moviegoing experience in person. Somewhere you can turn your phone off for a few hours and just disconnect from the world,” says 22-year-old film TikToker Florence Rose.
According to a recent British Council survey, film and television are almost twice as influential as digital creators in shaping UK culture for gen Z. As a result, more are logging off in search of something more original. “With the steady erosion of third spaces and gen Z’s general lack of interest in alcohol, the cinema is the perfect place to go. It’s also a rich source of culture, clout and discourse, which can all be brought back to social media,” the Townsends add.
The movies are still relatively cheap compared with the rising costs of concerts, holidays or clubbing. That matters at a time when 68% of 18 to 30-year-olds say they are going out less because they can’t afford drinks and club entry, according to a UK Night Time Industries Association survey. By comparison, an off-peak ticket at Curzon can cost about £7 for under-25s, which is a lot cheaper than a £15 club entry and a £12 vodka and Coke. For those looking to stretch their money further, unlimited cinema passes have also grown in popularity among younger audiences, with schemes such as Odeon Limitless offering monthly access for £16.99.
“Going to the cinema is about making films an event again,” says 27-year-old Odeon Limitless member Robbie Nichols. “Streaming has made watching a film feel less special – it’s too easy to pause it and check your phone. In a dark room with no distractions, you’re forced to be present. Hearing strangers react also adds to the impact of a great joke or jump-scare. The cinema is where films are made to be watched after all.”
At the BFI Southbank in London, efforts to bring in younger audiences appear to be paying off. Its under-25 scheme, which offers £4 tickets, has grown by 91% over the past four years, and those tickets account for more than 21% of its sales in 2024-25.
Marketing plays a major role in turning films into moments gen Z don’t want to miss. Studios increasingly lean into a kind of viral playbook, often through a stream of press-tour clips designed to take off online. With press tours now longer, louder and more visible across social media, the buildup generates a kind of anticipation cycle: see it in cinemas or risk missing the moment.
“With social media, every time we scroll, not only do we see every new film that’s coming out, we also hear people’s takes on it. If people online are calling it ‘the best film ever’, we don’t want to feel the fomo, so off we go to the cinema,” says 27-year-old film and TV TikToker Chikamso.
“Our attention spans are so short that we can’t even wait for a film to hit our favourite streaming platforms. So we take a ‘now or never’ approach, and usually, we choose ‘now”, Chikamso added.
What’s more, for gen Z, the conversation doesn’t end when the credits roll. Apps such as Letterboxd – essentially the Goodreads of cinema – allow users to distil their reactions into sharp, ironic one-liners and scroll through the takes of other viewers. “Gen Z are yearning for community, and through apps like Letterboxd, which continues to see an increase in popularity, people can find that community of like-minded individuals and share their thoughts and feelings about films,” says Rose.
The platform, whose core audience is 18- to 24-year-olds, has grown from 1.7 million users in 2020 to 26 million in 2026, adding more than nine million since January 2025 alone. “When a movie is released in the cinema, online conversations are sparked, which drives more people to the cinema so they can feel like they can join in and be a part of those conversations,” Rose adds.
Greta Gerwig’s 2023 film Barbie, for example, has amassed more than 1.1m written reviews on Letterboxd. Ironically, as the platform pulls people away from the passive “doom scroll”, it also encourages it, through reviews, lists and inside jokes. Letterboxd staff are now regularly on red carpets, microphones in hand, asking passing celebrities for their “four favourite films” – clips that routinely rack up thousands, if not millions, of views on social media.
Gen Z are not rejecting screens – quite the opposite. They simply prefer the biggest one available.
