For years, Hollywood's big fear was that the generation raised on phones and streaming would never become moviegoers. A new YouGov poll joins a growing pile of evidence that says relax. They're the ones showing up. Some numbers:
- 20% of adults under 30 went to a theater in the past week.
- Only 5% of the 65+ crowd did.
- Under-45s are more likely than older adults to say the big screen beats streaming.
Zoom out: Despite all that, Hollywood's fall slate looks like it was built for their parents. September alone brings Mark Wahlberg, Brad Pitt, Sandra Bullock, and Nicole Kidman, stars whose audiences now mostly wait for the streaming window. This weekend was a preview: Jason Statham's 'Mutiny' and the Leslie Mann comedy 'Spa Weekend' both flopped, while A24's 'Tony' (Dominic Sessa as a young Anthony Bourdain) out-earned both per screen. Tellingly, September's best-tracking title, Zach Cregger's 'Resident Evil,' stars a 29-year-old.
Looking ahead… Tom Cruise's 'Digger' opens against Colleen Hoover's 'Verity,' and it's a decent read on whether younger audiences will come out for a legacy star, or whether the slate needs to keep catching up to them.
