Gen-Z social media dependence may have led to a renewal of independent cinema ironically

During the pandemic, cinemas notably had trouble, because social distancing restrictions almost killed their business model. Many smaller and independent theaters have always gone bankrupt. However, since the pandemic reflected, the film industry slowly restored. Attendance in theaters is not exactly where it was before the pandemic, but attendance is significantly higher than during the covid and continues to climb.

A new article published by The Guardian suggests that the slowness of audience numbers in Europe can be motivated, in part, by the richness of access to the cinema provided by Internet. The article provides data (as well as anecdotal evidence) which suggests that the permanent landscape of social media in which young people have been raised during COVID may have led to a resurgence of interest in cinema with a “C.” In capital, sales of tickets in Great Britain are obviously up, after 2020 (there was a pandemic) and many independent theaters are where the peaks in ticket sales were the highest, indicates the report. In these places, young people seem to lead a large part of the new sales, he adds. Many independent theaters notably show older films (if you are a New York resident, think of the film Forum). The report note:

Curzon, which operates 16 sites across the United Kingdom, reports that there has been a clear change in the past six years in young people who exceed the older public. In 2019, the largest demographic age of the age of the participants in Curzon was 65 years and over, followed by 55-64. In 2025, however, the dominant age group was 25 to 34 years – from 16% in 2019 to 31% in 2025 – followed from 18-25 (from 17% to 24% over the same period).

In independent theaters, the trend is almost the same:

The same goes for the independent place of Bristol, the watershed, where the percentage of tickets sold at less than 25 years old has increased from 19% (when reopening after locking in 2021) to 27% in 2024 (for comparison, the share of tickets sold to over 60 has also increased, but in one percentage.)

The article notes that access to conventional, Indie and Arthouse films provided by Internet can arouse a survey of interest for independent theaters. A programmer from the watershed of the watershed is cited that many young viewers are “quite adventurous with their taste, especially with regard to the films and older reminders” and seem to take advantage of the cult classics and independent favorites. This may be due to the fact that they had access to them online. “We are Demons Letterboxd. This is the first thing I do after a film, I’m going to Letterboxd,” said Isiah Robinson, 22.

In other words, British children Gen-Z seem to have discovered cinema, and they seem to love it a little. In addition to that, young people seem to appreciate an environment in which they are not constantly tempted by their phones. “It’s nice to go out,” said Sophia Crothall, 23, at the Guardian. “I don’t touch my phone all the time I’m in the movies. At home, I probably scroll. “

A cinema screen is always a screen, but damn it if it is not a drastic improvement compared to the little cylindrical that millions of us take with us wherever we go (and which constantly begs our attention). It is also very pleasant to see the young people of the world to realize that the films are great. If Netflix and Letterboxd must thank for the increase in theater sales, good on them.

It is not clear if this type of rebirth focused on young people also took place in America, although the attendance of the theater has followed a similar trajectory. According to the IMDB sales metrics page, the Mojo box office, tickets sold in the United States fell between 2019 and 2020 (from 11 billion to $ 2 billion), but has somewhat rebounded in 2021 and 2022 (climbing 4 billion to $ 7 billion). In 2023 and 2024, sales at the box office oscillated between 8.9 and 8.5 billion dollars. This year started slowly, but the summer months have compensated for it a bit, thanks to unconventional successes. A swell of prestigious versions in recent months can also prove to be profitable.