As movie theaters continue their journey to recovery from pandemic-era lows, Gen Z has emerged as a key age group in their battle against fickle box office performance. Major chains are employing a variety of marketing tactics to try to pop with young consumers—themed events, collectible merchandise and wallet-friendly loyalty programs.

But to go full Zoomer, theaters may need to step up their offerings for the TikTok generation.

Since 2020, 77% of Gen Zers have returned to the theater, according to UTA IQ, the intelligence arm of United Talent Agency. For AMC Theaters, Gen Z is its fastest growing segment for both attendance and subscriptions to its AMC Stubs loyalty programs, said Ellen Copaken, senior VP of marketing at AMC. And Gen Z attendance at Cinemark is almost two times that of other generations, said Wanda Gierhart Fearing, chief marketing and content officer at Cinemark.

Still, the percentage of moviegoers aged 18 to 24, the industry’s biggest audience, has stagnated since 2020, according to recent Comscore data.

All the while, movie theaters’ marketing bread and butter—the movies themselves—have continued to be light due first to pandemic delays and then the 2023 Hollywood strikes. On Cinemark’s second-quarter earnings call, President and CEO Sean Gamble cited the 2024 release slate at around 100 movies, down from 110 last year and 25% below pre-pandemic releases.

However, one constant throughout theaters’ modern trials is Gen Z’s consistent adoption of movies and theaters in social media trends—this year alone has seen the sexually confusing “Dune 2” popcorn bucket, surviving Regal’s rollercoaster 4DX screenings of “Twisters,” sharing in-theater clips from “Deadpool & Wolverine” and analyses of the “It Ends with Us” behind-the-scenes drama. Cultish celebrations at Taylor Swift’s “The Eras Tour” movie and the Barbenheimer and Gentleminions phenomena are memorable cultural moments from the past few years.

Treat yourself … on a budget

Members of Gen Z were born between 1997 and 2012, making them as old as 27 and as young as 12 in 2024. As Gen Z craves in-person and communal events, the movies have taken up a space in between pricey outings such as concerts, but still possess a sense of occasion.

The majority of Gen Z reserve movie tickets more than one day in advance, said Jason Wiese, senior VP, director of strategic insights at Video Advertising Bureau, adding that moviegoers, regardless of age, travel an average of 12 miles to the movies. Additionally, loyalty programs that provide discounted or subscription-based tickets have been a key driver for Gen Z movie attendance, crucial for addressing the 72% of Gen Z consumers who noted price as a primary hurdle for attending a movie, according to research from Morning Consult.

Of the 33 million subscribers to AMC’s Stubs loyalty program, including the A-List tier, which includes three movie tickets per week, one-third are Gen Z, said Copaken. AMC will soon announce ways that its loyalty programs will “evolve in line with how Gen Z engages with brands,” Copaken added, but she declined to specify further.

One possibility is linking rewards programs to social posting, and allowing Gen Zers to rack up loyalty points by producing user-generated content at the theater, said Felipe Mendez, who works at UTA Entertainment Marketing’s youth agency Next Gen.

“A really strong factor about Gen Zers that most older generations would complain about is we want to feel special,” said Mendez. “We want to feel like we’re in the know—we’re on TikTok because we’re able to get to a trend earlier, and then if a brand gets onto it, it’s like, ‘Oh, it’s not cool anymore.’ Knowing that if I go to see a movie I will be able to be part of cultural conversations before anybody else, I will feel special.”

Recent news: Gen Z overspends at concerts and other events

Rather than following trends, said Mendez, theaters could take a more active role in leading Gen Z social trends by curating intentional opportunities in theaters, not just for influencers, but the large set of young consumers who want to replicate trends themselves. For example, Mendez said theaters could install ring lights in areas, up the production of film signage from cardboard cutouts to sets that one could film a scene in or partner with influencers to create trends that fans would need to go to theaters to recreate in a curated area.

For example, a social trend last year involved users who had just seen “Anyone But You” skipping down a movie theater’s halls to Natasha Bedingfield’s “Unwritten” after hearing the 2004 track in the film. The easily duplicated sequence not only encouraged young audiences to go to theaters to participate but it was predicated on the idea that the euphoria felt after seeing the film was so immense you couldn’t help but dance your way out of the theater, said Emily Anatole, senior director of cultural insights for UTA IQ.

“[Gen Z] are looking to make their everyday lives, including going to the movies, more of a share-worthy factor,” said Anatole.

Increased demand for attending concerts and more competition from specialty experiences such as podcast tours or Netflix’s immersive “Bridgerton” experience “raises the stakes for theaters to be doing more to attract Gen Zers, not only with more content than ever, but more live entertainment,” said Anatole. “People are looking for more IRL experiences.”

Capturing social buzz

One area where theaters have found traction drumming up attention on social lately is emphasizing the less cost-efficient extras that can’t be replicated at home, such as specialty screen formats, including Imax and 4DX, and over-the-top movie themed cocktails and popcorn buckets.

“The challenge that movie theaters are up against is less about fighting streaming, and much more about things you could do out on a Friday night, whether it’s going to another live event, restaurants, shopping,” said Copaken. “We need to continue making sure that moviegoing is as relevant a part of culture as it has been for the past 100 years.”

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The increased emphasis on merchandise, particularly procuring items exclusive to each cinema chain, has been the most recent push. Copaken said that Gen Z makes up a quarter of sales for AMC’s exclusive popcorn bucket designs, which quickly sell out. Much attention has been given to the chain’s new cocktail for “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice,” an iridescent blue creation loaded with gummy insects called the Sandworm Slayer.

Of Gen Zers aged 18 to 27 who have been to a movie in the past year, 73% said themed food or drink was a motivator to go to the theater, according to a new survey from UTA IQ, while  69% of respondents listed exclusive merchandise as motivation, followed by the opportunity to dress up (55%) and photo opps or postable activations (54%).

Viral merchandise has been effective marketing for theaters, getting attention on social media with teases and reveals for the next big release’s bucket or drink, driving collectors to the cinema selling the best version for each movie and then generating additional social content from consumer reactions, reviews and trends. 

As is the case for many brands, social media platforms, particularly those that are influencer-centric such as TikTok and Instagram, have been crucial for theaters to connect with Gen Z. Both AMC and Cinemark have incorporated viral sounds or jumped on trending hashtags in their social marketing, and influencer partnerships have become a core part of each chain’s Gen Z marketing.

The UTA IQ poll also found that half of Gen Zers who have recently been to a theater said they like it when cinemas partner with creators to promote moviegoing.

For example, a recent collaboration between AMC and creator @JunoeOfficial, in which the creator attended a “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice” themed activation, garnered 19 times better engagement than the industry average for media brands on Instagram, according to UTA IQ.

In addition to influencer content partnerships, both AMC and Cinemark have hosted creator events. Cinemark partnered with Disney on influencer activations for releases including “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever,” “The Little Mermaid” and “Guardians of the Galaxy 3.” Cinemark also sponsored Coca-Cola’s Sips and Sounds music festival this summer in Austin, Texas, featuring a pop-up theater and concessions.

AMC partnered with Coca-Cola on a program for teens that recently included an event featuring color-changing cups, an Icee flavor competition and social media challenges to encourage teenagers to post about their AMC experience. Similarly, AMC has found success hosting themed nights such as a girls’ night out early screening for “It Ends with Us” and family night for “Inside Out 2.”

Theater chains have been facing extreme volatility in their businesses, much of which is due to inconsistent release slates. AMC Entertainment posted a second-quarter loss of $32.8 million, with revenue down 23% from a year earlier, dragged down by lower attendance for a smaller release slate during a period that typically includes early summer blockbusters.

“AMC saw a remarkable contrast in our own results between the early quarter and the dearth of movie releases and the end of the quarter with a record-setting movie, ‘Inside Out 2,’ delighting audiences in theaters,” said Adam Aron, chairman and CEO, AMC Entertainment, on the company’s second-quarter call with investors. “It was as if we were two totally different companies surrounded by two totally different industry dynamics.”

Conditions improved as the summer progressed, with films including “Deadpool & Wolverine,” “Twisters” and “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice” topping expectations at the box office.

Similarly, Cinemark reported challenging conditions in its second quarter—revenue fell 22% from a year earlier—although it outperformed some Wall Street projections. The chain has also since set all-time attendance records with “Deadpool & Wolverine” and “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice.”

The next Nicole Kidman moment?

Focusing theaters’ Gen Z marketing power purely on social media, however, could be limiting, said VAB’s Wiese.

“Social is great to keep conversation going on a daily basis, especially when you’re leading up into the movie release, but streaming and linear TV is creating consumer action and is driving many people to go watch the trailer, which then is hosted on either social media platforms or or YouTube,” said Wiese, noting that the necessity for multi-channel marketing is still important to reaching Gen Z. 

At the movie level, Wiese said trailers generate outsized buzz during tentpole events such as the Super Bowl, when “Wicked” and “Deadpool & Wolverine” were the top ads by consumer engagement, per attribution measurement company EDO. And social media still plays a vital role in getting young consumers to theaters, said Wiese.

TikTok users were found to be 44% more likely to visit the movies at least once per month than those who don’t use the platform, according to a recent TikTok study. And 33% of moviegoers who use TikTok said the social platform was the source that inspired them to go to a movie, per the study.

For theaters, look no further than AMC’s viral Nicole Kidman brand campaign from 2021, which ran across multiple paid media channels and set off a trend of attending films at the chain to stand or applaud during the spot when it played before a film. The spot’s cultural impact has yet to be replicated in brand marketing for a theater chain.

Cross-media marketing also plays into Gen Z’s affinity for nostalgia. While theaters have capitalized on this by pairing new sequels or reboots with screenings of their original film, Gen Z’s nostalgia obsessions also connect the age demographic (which, to be sure, includes young teens and even some tweens) more deeply with parents or members of older generations that are more active on traditional media channels such as linear TV.

For Gen Z, “there’s more communal time being spent watching with family members,” said VAB’s Wiese. “Whether that’s linear or streaming, they’re not just always gravitating to the social media platforms. There is media being consumed both individually and together with friends and family.”

AMC and Cinemark are finding other ways to meet consumers outside of the theater. Continuing the perception of being a brand for special occasions, Cinemark offers concessions delivery, while AMC has leaned more into everyday use with branded microwave and packed pre-popped popcorn in grocery stores, which include discounts for movie tickets.