New Delhi: Gen Z is helping revive cinema halls after the Covid-19 pandemic. According to a report by Fandango, 87 per cent of Gen Z and 82 per cent of millennials in the US have watched at least one film in a cinema hall, compared with 70 per cent of Gen X and 58 per cent of baby boomers. Similar trends are emerging in India, where younger audiences are increasingly driving theatres’ footfalls and box office collections, particularly on opening day.
Recent trends suggest that younger viewers have become the backbone of the Hindi film industry. According to the Ormax Bollywood Audience Report 2026, based on a survey of 2,000 moviegoers in India, 57 per cent of the Hindi box office comes from audiences below the age of 30. This proportion rises to 70 per cent for first-day box office collections, making the 15–30-year-old age group a critical audience segment from a marketing perspective.
The report also noted that while Gen Z spend most of their time on digital media, YouTube, Instagram and online ticketing platforms are among the top sources through which they discover new releases. It also found that 40 per cent of audiences share film-related memes on their personal accounts.
Taran Adarsh, a film trade analyst, told ThePrint that theatres in India are now largely driven by Gen Z, a trend visible in films such as Saiyaara (2025) and Dhurandhar (2025). According to him, young audiences are the strongest cinephiles. While family audiences usually visit theatres after positive word of mouth, depending on the film’s theme, the younger crowd has maintained the sacred ritual of the “first day, first show” in Indian theatres. He added that films are increasingly being made in a way that appeals to the younger generation.
“Targeting the young crowd will decide the box office numbers and the overall revenue of the film,” he said.
The CineFiles report, based on a BookMyShow survey conducted in 2023, highlights not just who is watching films, but also why they continue to visit theatres. The survey, conducted among 5,000 respondents across 650 cities and towns in India, highlighted the growing influence of Gen Z. According to the survey, 41 per cent of respondents were Gen Z, while the remaining 59 per cent were Gen X and millennials combined.
The survey further revealed that 38 per cent of Gen Z consider going to cinema halls a way to relieve stress, while 63 per cent of respondents said movies are on their minds at least once every fortnight.
(Edited by Janaki Pande)
