Half of Americans Didn’t See a Single Movie in Theaters in 2025 — Report 

A new report suggests that movie theater attendance in the United States remains limited, with nearly half of American adults not visiting a movie theater in 2025. According to a recent survey, 53 percent of U.S. adults said they watched a film in theaters during the previous year. The findings highlight the ongoing challenges facing theatrical moviegoing. 

Only 53% Americans watched a movie in theaters in 2025

A recent survey suggests that theater attendance in the United States remains limited despite a steady flow of theatrical releases. 

According to research conducted by the Pew Research Center in the summer of 2025, 53 percent of U.S. adults said they had watched a movie in theaters during the previous 12 months. The survey also found that 7 percent of respondents reported they had never seen a film in a movie theater.

The findings highlight the ongoing challenges facing the theater business after the disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Industry data indicates that attendance has improved since the pandemic years, but has not yet returned to earlier levels. 

According to Nash Information Services, theaters across the United States and Canada sold 769.2 million tickets in 2025. The figure represents a significant improvement from the pandemic period. However, it remains well below the historic peak recorded in 2002, when roughly 1.6 billion tickets were sold. 

Before theaters closed during the pandemic, more than 1.2 billion tickets were sold in 2019, which equaled about 3.3 tickets per person. In 2020, ticket sales dropped sharply to 231.6 million, reflecting an 81 percent decline as cinemas remained closed for extended periods.

Box office revenue has followed a similar pattern. According to Comscore, U.S. theaters generated just over $9 billion in ticket sales in 2025, indicating improvement but still remaining roughly 20 percent below pre-pandemic levels.

The Pew survey also identified differences in moviegoing habits among demographic groups. About two-thirds of adults aged 18 to 29 said they watched a movie in theaters during the past year. In comparison, 39 percent of adults aged 65 and older reported going to the movies in the same period. Other factors such as income, race, and ethnicity also affected theater attendance. 

Source: Comingsoon.net