Art House Convergence’s newly released National Audience Survey shows that independent exhibitors are still critical in the lives of moviegoing audiences, a finding that stands in sharp contrast to the pervasive narrative that the theatrical sector is in peril. Data from more than 32,000 respondents, ranging in age from 15-98 years old, from all 50 states and the District of Columbia, and representing 46 cinemas across the country, laid bare that art house audiences are alive and well as existing and new patrons continue to return to their independent community-driven cinemas.
“While we’re constantly met with click-bait analysis about the perilous state of theatrical exhibition from Hollywood’s perspective, it was remarkable to hear from the audiences of independent cinemas across the US for the results of our 2024 National Audience Survey,” said Kate Markham, Art House Convergence’s Managing Director. “What we learned of course is what we already knew to be true – art house moviegoing audiences are still attending their local cinemas, new and younger patrons are discovering these independent exhibitors, and the creativity and variety of programming is what keeps them coming back.”
The top reasons why audiences continue to flock to art house cinemas include: more films outside the mainstream (84%), interesting programming and events (73%), “more films I like” (66%) and more of a sense of community (60%.) “These are the defining characteristics of an art house cinema and this is why, as a sector of the exhibition industry, we’re excited to share that our audiences and member cinemas are deeply committed to the theatrical experience,” said Markham.
Audiences also reported an increase in the films they watch in their art house cinema (20%, compared to 16% in 2019), versus the films they’re watching in other theaters (19% in other theaters, compared to 15% in 2019) and at home (62%, compared to 69% in 2019.) While theatrical exhibition will continue to contend with the rising challenges of streaming, it’s encouraging to see that audiences still value the theatrical experience, especially for film programming outside mainstream Hollywood content.
Cultural Significance
Independent exhibitors are tremendously valuable to the quality of life of their patrons, and this has also increased since 2019. 74% of patrons report that their art house theater is “extremely” or “very” valuable to their overall quality of life, up from 66% in 2019. 43% of respondents have paid to be members of their local art house organization.
92% of respondents said that their art house cinema presents films that are profound, 83% agree that their art house exposes them to new ways of thinking, 82% believe that attending their art house cinema makes them a more well-rounded person, 75% say that it raises their consciousness of important issues and 67% say that attending their art house connects them with people with shared interests and beliefs.
Art houses serve as the backbone for the artistic, civic, and economic vitality of communities. 93% say their art house sparks art and culture, 90% agree that their art house is one of the best things about the community, 89% say that their cinema helps tell important stories that would otherwise not be told, 87% say their cinema is an anchor in their community and 77% say that their cinema enhances their community’s economic vitality.
Who’s The Audience
Art house cinemas are attracting newer and younger audiences. Amongst the 32,000 respondents, 25% are new attendees to their cinema within the last three years. 43% of respondents are members of their local art house organization. Although the traditional art house patron tends to be older, the art house community appears effective at winning over younger audiences. The average overall audience age is 50 (compared to 55 in 2019), while the average age of new attendees is 38. 44% of the overall art house audience is under 45. 57% identify as female, 39% identify as male, and 4% identify as
non-binary/prefer to self describe.
The top reasons new audiences are showing up at their cinemas include: programming, a recent move to the area, or attending with an acquaintance.
Why They’re Going
The top reasons respondents report going to see films on the big screen are: favorable reviews (66%), only in theaters (58%), word of mouth (56%), award nominations/wins (55%), smaller budget/indie film (54%) and repertory titles (52%.) The most attractive genres (scoring above 60%) for overall audiences include: drama, foreign, comedy and documentary. Recent attendees also indicate greater interest in action & adventure, sci-fi, fantasy, experimental, horror, anime & animation and queer cinema.
What They’re Watching
The top 10 most entertaining movies of the 12 months prior to May 2023 that audiences saw at their local art house cinemas include: Barbie, Poor Things, Oppenheimer, Dune: Part 2, American Fiction, Perfect Days, The Holdovers, Oscar Shorts, The Taste of Things, and Stop Making Sense.
Some of the anecdotal replies specifically mentioned special screenings, events and film festivals as programming highlights, including Scarface in 35mm at the Coral Gables Art Cinema, The Greatest Showman Sing- A-Long at the Music Box Theatre, Star Wars Day marathon at the AFI Silver Theatre and Cultural Center, “Out of The Archives” centering Black experience across film genres at FilmScene, the Secret Film Festival at at SIFF Cinema, and the Jewish Film Festival at the Coolidge Corner Theatre.
61% of respondents say they watch documentaries in theaters, with arts & culture, social issues, music documentaries/concert films, science/nature and multiculturalism/diversity representing the top five thematic draws.
Participating cinemas included: a/perture cinema, AFI Silver Theatre and Cultural Center, Amherst Cinema Arts Center, Austin Film Society / AFS Cinema, Belcourt Theatre, Brattle Film Foundation, The Byrd Theatre Foundation, Chelsea Theater, Cinema Arts Centre, Cinema Detroit, Cinestudio, Colonial Theatre, Coolidge Corner Theatre, Coral Gables Art Cinema, Darkside Cinema, Enzian Theater, Facets, Film at Lincoln Center, FilmScene, The Frida Cinema, Gateway Film Center, Gene Siskel Film Center, Gold Town Theater, The Grand Cinema, Greenbelt Cinema, IFC Center, Images Cinema, The Iowa Theater, Jacob Burns Film Center, The Little Theatre, The Loft Cinema, Maine Film Center, Majestic Theatre, Music Box Theatre, O Cinema, Onyx Theatre, The Nightlight, Park City Film, Pickford Film Center, Robinson Film Center, The Roxy Theater, Salt Lake Film Society, SIFF Cinema, Tryon Theatre,
Varsity Cinema / Des Moines Film, Vassar Theatre.
Art House Theater Day
In celebration of the art house community’s commitment to preserving the power of cinematic storytelling AHC will present its first Art House Theater Day since 2019, on July 25th, with 100 participating cinemas from across North America. Specialty programming includes the 40th anniversary 4K restoration of The Terminator (James Cameron, 1984), featuring a Q&A with James Cameron and Gale Anne Hurd; Janus Film’s 4K restoration of West Indies: The Fugitive Slaves of Liberty (Med Hondo, 1979), Suburbia (Penelope Spheeris, 1983) courtesy of American Genre Film Archive, Julia’s Stepping Stones (Julia Reichert and Steve Bognar, 2024) and Growing Up Female (Julia Reichert and Jim Klein, 1971), both courtesy of the filmmakers, and the new documentary Frank Capra: Mr. America (Matthew Wells, 2023) courtesy of Columbia Pictures.
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