Moviegoing Statistics: Who Goes to the Theater?
Published September 15, 2026 · StatsGalore
Adults who went to a movie theater in the previous year [1]
In a 2025 Pew Research Center survey, 53% of U.S. adults said they had seen a movie in a theater during the previous twelve months. The figure was higher among younger adults and lower among older adults. This measures whether someone went at least once, rather than the number of tickets purchased. [1]
The numbers
| Age group | Went in the previous 12 months | Source |
|---|---|---|
| All adults | 53% | [1] |
| 18–29 | 67% | [1] |
| 30–49 | 60% | [1] |
| 50–64 | 48% | [1] |
| 65+ | 39% | [1] |
Going once and going often look the same here
The headline measure counts a person as a moviegoer whether they went once or attended regularly. It is therefore a measure of reach. A frequency question or ticket-sales series would be needed to estimate the amount of moviegoing.
This also means that a stable share of adults attending can coexist with changing ticket sales. People who already attend can buy more or fewer tickets without changing the reach measure.
[1]Age differences describe the surveyed groups
The age comparison shows a clear downward pattern across the displayed groups. It does not establish why those differences exist. Access, preferences, schedules, and other characteristics could differ at the same time.
The survey covers adults. It should not be used to describe children’s attendance, even though children can be an important part of the audience for some films.
[1]The reference period moves with the interview
Respondents were interviewed from July 8 to August 3, 2025. A question about the previous twelve months reaches back from each interview date; it is not exactly a January-to-December calendar-year measure.
That timing matters when comparing the survey with annual box-office data. A film released late in the calendar year might fall outside this survey’s reference period.
[1]What the numbers say about entertainment
Theater attendance is one form of movie viewing. A person who did not visit a cinema may still watch films at home. This table cannot measure total film viewing across platforms.
Survey estimates also carry sampling uncertainty. The displayed percentages are rounded population estimates, not exact counts of every adult. Small differences should be interpreted with the source’s methodology in mind.
[1]Sources & notes
Pew Research Center survey of 9,916 U.S. adults, July 8–August 3, 2025; published March 2026. Attendance refers to the previous twelve months.
Source review: 2026-09-15. Article publication and underlying data dates are separate. How we use statistics · Suggest a correction