A new generation of younger cinephiles are making their way to arthouses and independents in droves, too. They’re passionate about their deep, cultural access to cinema history and the promise of creating special film experiences. As film-dedicated apps such as Letterboxd become mainstream, they’re bringing along with them a generation hungry to discover more outside of the regular ol’ blockbusters. This evolving cinematic landscape coincides with the record-breaking success of Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour, which has reshaped perceptions of concert films and attracted significant viewership.
In 2023, Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour became the highest-grossing concert film ever, a milestone noted by Eduardo Leal, group director of screen content at Vue, who described the film as a “gamechanger.” Correspondingly, this success is indicative of a larger trend amongst young, captive audiences, most of whom are venturing further into the world of indie films with their studio fare.
For Isaiah Robinson, 22, the decision to go to the movies has to be an economic one. “We’re balancing the cost of living as well, so it’s a bit of a luxury,” he stated, underscoring the challenges faced by many young adults today. Yet, in spite of these challenges, data paint a remarkable picture. More than half the ticket buyers for movies like Saltburn are 24 and under.
As a programmer at Watershed, Steph Read has noticed this curious pattern. More specifically, younger audiences tend to have this proclivity for adventurous film tastes, frequently lured by retrospective programming and re-releases. She mentioned that younger generations are more adventurous in their palate. This is especially acute with older films and re-releases. The recent repertory screenings of classics such as La Haine, Chungking Express, and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind attest to a bold, adventurous spirit. These films have proven to be extremely popular with audiences.
Cinema attendance statistics reveal a notable shift. Before the pandemic, the biggest demographic going to Curzon cinemas were people aged 65 and over. Projections show that by 2025, 25-34-year-olds will make up the largest share of moviegoers. Susie Bould, the director of marketing at Curzon, credits much of that change to the power of social media. It’s hugely consequential for one reason – it attracts younger viewers. Social media has been a huge factor in terms of getting younger audiences into theaters,” she said.
The current average price of a cinema ticket in the UK is £7.73. That’s just a token improvement from 2018. For most young people, like Adele Agwu-kalu, 20, this is on par with social outing expenses. Needless to say, a ticket is just about as much as a drink,” she noted. This perspective suggests that many young people view cinema outings as an affordable form of entertainment.
Sophia Crothall, 23, is passionate about the cinematic experience. She continued, “I never touch my phone the entire time I’m in the movie theater. Not at all, but maybe at home I’m scrolling.” This sentiment reflects a larger desire for immersive viewing experiences, which sometimes become more difficult to achieve at home.
Addressing younger people Greg Walker, cinema manager and programmer at Manchester’s Cultplex, made the point that younger audiences are the most often misrepresented. “Many of these young people are then typecast into becoming that kind of person at movie theaters,” he continued. I think a lot of them are really the people that want to be able to go see and watch the movie. It’s not just a social area. Walker added, indie moviegoers are not as rude as their mainstream counterparts. “It’s the independent cinema audiences that are more respectful, more often than not,” he continued.
Ben Luxford, the British Film Institute’s director of UK audiences, knows this situation well. He cautions, though, that this only reflects a slice of the population. This new wave of film fanaticism is still very much a niche, comfortable, tiny pocket of people overall,” he added.
As cinema attendance slowly recovers from pandemic-related declines, 126.5 million admissions are recorded in 2024 compared to 176.1 million in 2019. Young people continue to return to theaters. Paul Gallagher, the programme manager at Glasgow Film Theatre, attributes this revival to audiences returning out of love for cinema. This passion blossomed big time during the lockdowns. In recent years, this younger audience has started to put the pieces together. They are finding themselves in cinemas that celebrate the amazing diversity of film culture through cinema’s deep history.
Film-dedicated apps such as Letterboxd have made a tremendous impact on and helped in fostering this cultural renaissance. Young cinephiles are diving deeper into cinematic history thanks to these new films, and posting their discoveries online for all to watch and learn from. “We’re Letterboxd fiends,” Robinson shared. “That’s the first thing I do after a movie, I go to Letterboxd.”