A survey by the Cinema Foundation and the film research company The Quorum shows that moviegoers, from frequent to infrequent attendees, have a significant interest in non-traditional programming in movie theaters. Between July 20 and August 5 of this year, 5,940 persons nationwide were polled for the study.
Ten experiences were identified by the study, ranging from in-theater cookery events and E-sports to live or pre-premiere television episodes and streamed live concerts. Both active and inactive theatergoers showed a strong interest in each of the ten events surveyed, according to the report. Many of the respondents also said that they would be prepared to pay more for these experiences than the cost of a movie ticket. The most popular experiences were cooking lessons, live concerts, and special television programs.
Both moviegoers and non-goers showed a lot of interest in the titles of classic films, with interest in Hollywood’s Golden Age and movies from the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s earning more than 50% interest among non-goers. Also receiving a lot of attention from respondents were documentaries, anime, short films, and Indian movies.
According to Jackie Brenneman, president of the Cinema Foundation, “It is apparent that viewers are ravenous for the movie theater experience as the films we do have performed and overperformed this year.” This study confirms that in order to reach a larger audience, we must provide them with additional incentives to attend. The findings here suggest a direction for extending our reach and increasing our attendance. At the same time, they give distributors a chance to use high-quality entertainment on various platforms, including movie theaters, when supply chains are troubled.
The Quorum’s founder, David Herrin, continued, “While much attention has been placed on how a shortage of films is a drag on attendance, there has been less attention on what to do about it other than “more films.” The poll results demonstrate that exhibitors and distributors have a variety of chances to profit from customers’ love of the theatergoing experience by providing “more of everything.”