Will teenagers save cinema? Here’s what a surprising new study says about youth and Hollywood

Christy Karras
| Los Angeles Times

Los Angeles — Good news for theaters still recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic and other industry disruptions: A new UCLA study finds that teenagers’ favorite pastime is going to the movies.

The latest edition of the university’s Teens and Screens report, which surveyed 1,500 young people in the US between the ages of 10 and 24, identified going to the movies on opening weekend as the No. 1 pastime for teenagers when there are costs, transportation and other obstacles. are removed from the equation.

In this age group, going to the movies ranks first among watching sports, playing video games, streaming movies or TV shows on personal devices, and other forms of entertainment.

However, after factoring in cost and other barriers, 39.2% of teens chose video games as their favorite pastime, over watching TV or movies (33.3%) or scrolling through social media (27.5%).

“All they care about is social media and YouTube and streaming and drinking and that the film business is dead,” said Yalda Uhls, executive director of UCLA’s Center for Scholars and Storytellers.

“I believed in the story that children are not too interested in movies. But actually, when you ask them, they’re really worried.”

Movie theaters need all the young enthusiasm they can get. Box office sales in the U.S. and Canada are down 11% from last year and remain well below pre-pandemic levels, according to Comscore.

Uhls, a former film executive, said studios tend to ignore the teenage demographic, and that to effectively tap into that market, they need to do a better job of reaching young people from different backgrounds and taking into account their habits and preferences. score.

“Do your research,” Uhls said. “If you’re creating content for teens, think about the life experiences of all teens.”

So what do teenagers want to see on screen?

According to a UCLA report, 36.2% of teens prefer fantasy to other genres; 63.5% value stories about friendship and platonic relationships over romance; and 62.4% believe that sex scenes are not necessary for the development of the plot of series and films. (Only survey participants aged 14 and over were asked about their thoughts on screen sex.)

Each of these combined figures showed a huge jump (at least 39%) compared to last year’s study.

On the other hand, only 7.2% of young people liked movies and TV shows about the rich and famous; while 13.9% said they want to watch movies and TV shows dealing with real-life issues that affect society.

Amidst all the information about shootings, climate change, injustice, politics, war and other real-world issues dominating the news and social media, kids need an escape, Uhls said. And not only in the form of superhero movies.

“It feels like that’s all we’re giving them,” Uhls said. “They want to see a wider spectrum.”

As for shows, theaters can attract more teens by offering event screenings — such as encouraging patrons to wear costumes to shows — and offering group discounts for youth, Uhls said.

“It’s a typical movie-going experience,” Uhls added. “They all love it the way I loved it growing up … and if you give it to them, they will come.”