The Aero Theatre, one of LA's longtime art house staples, in Santa Monica
With the summer box office off to a promising start and a little optimism creeping back into theaters, the Art House Convergence 2026 National Audience Survey says the good vibes go deeper than the tentpoles. They polled more than 27,000 moviegoers about their local independent theaters and found that side of the business quietly doing just fine. Some numbers:
- Business for independent theater was up about 9% over last year, and grosses are a striking 38% above where they sat before the pandemic
- About a quarter of the moviegoers surveyed only started going to their local independent theater in the last three years. These newcomers average 40 years old, a solid 11 years younger than the average art house regular (51).
- And they're not just wandering in once. These are regulars catching 10-plus movies a year, with 43% paying into membership programs, which is more commitment than most people give their gym.
