Study: Movie theater visits decreased 10% in 2025

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Study: Movie theater visits decreased 10% in 2025
 
Published Monday, March 9, 2026 11:00 am
by Zachary Russell

This is a summary

"Movie theater visits are decreasing, although independently-operated theaters appear to be weathering the storm better than chains.

New data from location intelligence provider Kalibrate reveals that U.S. movie theater visits fell by at least 10% year over year in 2025, comparing second- and third-quarter data from 2024 with the same periods last year.

Across major movie theater chains, average visit volumes declined by approximately 15% year over year. Regal Cinemas saw a decline of 12.2%, while Century Theatres experienced a sharper decrease of 20.3%, according to Kalibrate’s data. By contrast, independent movie theaters recorded a smaller decline of 8.6%, suggesting comparatively greater resilience.

Households earning over $100,000 annually show signs of pulling back more than other income groups, which Kalibrate says is notable given that moviegoing has historically skewed to those with more disposable income. The data also reveals a distinct year-over-year decline among Hispanic or Latino moviegoers, with this group reducing visits at a higher rate than other demographic segments.

Areas classified as “super urban”, “urban” and “light urban” experienced the largest year-over-year declines, with visits down 18%. In contrast, rural and exurban areas saw a much smaller decline of 5%."

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Study: Movie theater visits decreased 10% in 2025 | Chain Store Age

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Study: Movie theater visits decreased 10% in 2025 | Chain Store Age

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