A Major Number of Adults Prefer Streaming Over Watching Films in Theaters

Are movie theaters ultimately destined to go the way of Old Yeller? It’s an interesting notion arguably worthy of debating — do most films even need cinemas with the advent of streaming services and VOD options? And in a brand-new poll conducted by HarrisX, it’s been revealed that only 34% of adults in the United States actually prefer to watch flicks in movie theaters. The Vice President of HarrisX, Allison Brady, said of the results (per IndieWire):

“The competition continues between streaming services and the Hollywood engine. While we still see evidence of loyal movie-goers in recent box office numbers, our study shows that 2 in 3 movie watchers prefer to stream movies at home. Despite this causing some upheaval for the industry, it also means that the demand for content is only increasing – nearly half of consumers say they stream movies weekly, more than 7x as frequently as those who do so in theaters.”

The online HarrisX poll was conducted earlier this week on Monday, March 11 and Tuesday, March 12. Over 1,000 adults in the U.S. took part, and they were “weighted” by the following criteria: gender, age, race, income. and regions “where necessary to reflect the population.” The movie theaters vs. streaming platforms poll’s margin of error was calculated at +/- 3 percentage points.

Movie Theaters Versus Streaming

Kung Fu Panda 4 and Dune: Part Two’s impressive numbers have certainly offset what was a miserable couple of months to open the 2024 box office year. Nevertheless, 66% of U.S. adults who took part in the HarrisX poll would prefer to wait for films when they drop on streaming, rather than see them in movie theaters. According to the same poll, 30% of those who participated will stream a film multiple times a week. Meanwhile, 30% of those who responded only go to the movie theaters “a few times a year.”

Now, while streaming certainly has the upper hand where convenience is concerned, there are factors which weigh in favor of movie theaters. For instance, 59% of film lovers are drawn to cinemas for “the experience of watching a movie on the big screen.” 47% of those polled pointed out “the quality of surround-sound systems,” while 39% credited getting away from “distractions” as major selling points for going to theaters. Other factors in movie theaters’ favor over streaming include (by polling percentage):

• Theater Recliners: 37%
• Concessions: 32%
• Movies playing exclusively in theaters: 30%
• 3D, IMAX: 30%
• Watch films with an audience: 26%
• Movie premieres and/or special screenings: 25%
• Nostalgia: 24%

Related

Are Streamers Good or Bad for Cinema?

As the future of the film industry hangs in imbalance, it’s become apt to ask if streamers are helping or hurting the current state of cinema.

Meanwhile, the factors weighing heavily in favor of streaming over going to movie theaters include (by polling percentage):

• Ticket prices: 53%
• Price of concessions: 42%
• Comfort of watching films at home: 40%
• Cleanliness of theaters: 23%
• Bathroom breaks: 22%
• Distractions from audience members: 19%
• Travel time to theater, traffic, parking, et cetera: 15%
• Film selection: 13%
• Inconvenient theater locales: 13%
• Limited availability and inconvenient showtimes: 11%
• Seat selection: 8%

While beloved titles like Titanic, Avengers: Endgame, Oppenheimer and even this year’s Dune: Part Two flirt with or exceed three hours in length, the HarrisX poll also reveals that 52% of those who took part believe films should clock in somewhere between 90 minutes and two hours. While the debate will undoubtedly continue, perhaps it’s better to consider that having both options, movie theaters and streaming platforms, allows the studios’ productions to reach a much wider audience. That compromise would likely result in more movies in general (and of different varieties) for audiences, and more ways of making money for producers.