Streaming is overtaking theaters for movie watchers, an AP-NORC poll finds
WASHINGTON (AP) — Americans are more likely to watch newly released movies from the comfort of their own homes instead of heading out to a theater, according to a new poll.
About three-quarters of U.S. adults said they watched a new movie on streaming instead of in the theater at least once in the past year, according to the survey from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research , including about 3 in 10 who watched new movies on streaming at least once a month.
Meanwhile, about two-thirds of Americans said that they’ve watched a recently released movie in a theater in the past year, and only 16% said they went at least once a month.
The results suggest that, on the whole, American moviegoers are more likely to stream a film than see it in the theaters, a shifting tide that was only accelerated during the COVID-19 pandemic and its aftermath. Convenience and cost are both factors for many people who can't find the time to go to a theater or pay the increasingly high price for a ticket.
Sherry Jenkins, 69, of New Jersey, turns to streaming for all of her moviegoing needs.
“It’s much more convenient,” Jenkins said. “I can watch anything I want, I just have to wait a month or two after the movies are released because they usually go to streaming pretty quickly.”
Streaming is more convenient
In the post-pandemic era, films end up on streaming services more quickly. In 2017, a 90-day exclusive theatrical window was common. Now, theaters are fighting for an industrywide standard of 45 days. For studios, the strategy seems to be different for every movie. This year’s best picture winner, “Anora,” had a 70-day exclusive theatrical window . “Wicked,” meanwhile, was available to purchase on demand only 40 days after opening in theaters — and that was a case in which the film was, and continued to be, a box-office hit . It was also profitable on streaming.
There is some overlap between theatergoers and people who opt for streaming — 55% of U.S. adults have seen a new movie in a theater and skipped the theater in favor of streaming at least once in the past year — but only watching new movies on streaming is more common than only going to the theater.
Some in the film industry believe that movies that start in theaters still have more cultural cachet, but Jenkins doesn’t see it that way.
“The studios now are so closely affiliated with the streaming services,” Jenkins said. “There’s really no logic behind why some skip the theaters.”
The last time she regularly went to the movie theaters was, she thinks, about 20 years ago. But as a tech-savvy retiree, there just hasn’t been enough of a reason to make the trek to the theater. A subscriber to Acorn, BritBox, Paramount+, Peacock, Netflix and Hulu, Jenkins doesn’t even see the need for cable anymore.
“People tell me, 'Oh, you have to go to the theaters and see ‘Top Gun: Maverick,’ ” Jenkins said. “But my TV is 75 inches, and I’m comfortable. I’m at home."
The cost of movie tickets is a factor
Maryneal Jones, 91, of North Carolina, said she likes to go to the movies but finds them too expensive.
“There’s some movies I would like to see, and I say to myself, I’ll just wait until they show them on TV or I’ll go visit a friend who has those apps,” Jones said. “But I just don’t want to pay 12 bucks.”
The average cost of a movie ticket in the U.S. is $13.17, according to data firm EntTelligence. In 2022, it was $11.76.
Jones does not subscribe to any streaming services, but she also sees more movies in theaters than many others. She estimates she sees about six to eight a year. Recent films she’s watched in the theater include “The Life of Chuck” and the French romantic comedy “Jane Austen Wrecked My Life."
The AP-NORC poll also indicates that streaming may be a more accessible option for lower-income Americans. Higher-income adults are more likely than low-income adults to be at least occasional moviegoers for new releases, but the gap is smaller for watching movies on streaming instead of going to the theater.
Younger adults watch more new movies, especially on streaming
New movies are more popular among young adults, regardless of how they see them. But streaming is more of a go-to for the younger generation.
Slightly less than half of adults under age 30 say they watched a recently released movie on streaming instead of going to the theater at least once a month in the past year, compared with about 2 in 10 who watched a movie in the theater with that frequency.
Eddie Lin, an 18-year-old student in Texas, said he mostly watches movies at home, on streamers like Crunchyroll, Hulu, HBO Max and Prime Video, but will go to the theaters for “bigger things" like “A Minecraft Movie," which is the biggest movie of the year in North America.
“A couple of my friends wanted to see it,” Lin said. “And there were the memes. I felt like the audience would be more interactive and it would be enhanced by being there with, like, a bunch of people.”
While streaming will continue to be formidable competition for audience attention and dollars, there has also been rising interest in the value of seeing certain films in IMAX or on other premium format screens, whether it’s “Sinners” or “Oppenheimer.”
The North American box office is currently up more than 4% from last year, but the industry has struggled to reach pre-pandemic levels of business. Compared with 2019, the annual box office is down more than 22%.
“I used to go more when I was younger, with my family, seeing all the Marvel movies up to ‘Endgame,’ " Lin said. “I like movie theaters. It's an experience. For me, it's mostly a time thing. But I do feel like a certain charm of watching movies in theaters is gone
Discussion of politics and/or religion will be limited to the plots and themes of the movies or TV movies and series themselves and any religious comments or proselytizing or commentary concerning current politics not in reference to the movies or TV movies and series themselves will be deleted along with all CoC and ToS violations. As well, anything posted that the administer of this group deems to be offensive, off topic or of no value will be deleted. Videos and images that the administrator cannot open must be described in text or they will be deleted. Instagrams are not permitted.
Tags
Who is online
122 visitors
If you have a big screen tv with good sound, turn the lights off, and sit at the proper distance, there isnt much difference between viewing a movie at the theater or on your television.
There is. Theater viewing is about an immersive, shared experience. They have superior equipment designed just for that. I like going to the theater. It's just expensive and often inconvenient.
I say this even as I often prefer to sit in my own living room and watch movies. I have a moderately priced 55" smart tv that I bought at the end of 2020 and a top 7.1 surround sound receiver. I'll be upgrading the TV next year about this time and increasing the size to 65". Someday I'll upgrade the receiver when I move to the new house someday in the future and can install better speakers for a true Atmos sound experience.
As theater watching slows, streamings services are raising their prices to compensate. I'm also seeing a slight rise in physical media again. Some companies that said they were getting out of the BluRay market are finding their way back.
I agree with that somewhat, but I think that is a mindset rather than an objectively better movie watching experience. If you think being in the theater matters, it matters, if that is not your mindset it doesnt.
The problem is that you're sharing the experience with the screaming toddler 2 rows away, or the guy that can't stop talking during the movie.
You mean like $10 for 50 cents worth of popcorn covered with fake butter?
For me it's more often some young girl on her phone.
$20+ for tickets, plus $30+ for snacks gets expensive.
I'll often do it anyway, it's that I'm too fracken busy to see the movie during the showing times. I wanted to go see Dead of Winter this weekend, but I have so many things to do I won't be able to. Probably next weekend too.
Everything is subjective. My wife would be fine watching tv with the tiny built in tv speaker. I refuse.
Have not had that, but the wife and I usually hit the matinees. Young girls wouldn't be caught dead in a matinee showing...
Thank god the fed is dropping interest rate.
I'll bet nobody watches as many movies as I do. I generally watch at least one and often two movies a day almost every day. Many times I'll watch a movie more than once. I recently watched both The Pelican Brief and The American President 3 times. It doesn't cost much to pay an annual fee for access to a 20-year span of movies. Presently I'm watching movies of my choice released between 2000 and 2020. but they throw in older classics now and then like All About Eve, The Long Hot Summer or The Country Girl. However, only a selection of movies is available. I sit about 12 feet from a 54 inch screen with stereo speakers, which is good enough for me.
In my more than 19 years in China I have been to a movie theatre only once, about 11 years ago in a first run 4-D movie house, only because I was invited by one of my students and because I was curious to experience a 4-D movie. It was the final one of The Hobbit Trilogy, and as far as I'm concerned I don't need to repeat the experience again of getting punched in the back, jiggled in my seat and having water vapour sprayed in my face.