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| Author | Mia Blakeney |
Digital Cinema Media has run a new cinemagoer insight survey with Old Salt, a research and insights agency, to find out what cinemagoers continue to value about the experience, perceptions of the content and their cinemagoing intentions for the year ahead.
The online survey was completed by a nationally representative UK audience of cinemagoers aged 16-44 and the results show that cinema continues to stand strong despite the challenging economic climate.
Cinema and today’s challenging economic climate
The ongoing cost of living crisis is putting a squeeze on many households’ overall spending, including entertainment spend. 60% of survey respondents said that they now have less disposable income for entertainment, however when asked how this would affect their choices only 6% said they would stop going to the cinema altogether.
Compared to this time last year, 6 in 10 cinemagoers said that they have maintained how often they go or increased their frequency. Looking ahead to the next six months, over 7 in 10 cinemagoers intend to go as often or more frequently. This gives promising signs of how cinema admissions across the rest of the year will fare.
The appeal of the cinema experience remains strong
Survey results show that the unique cinema experience is still treasured and cinemagoers feel going to the cinema is good value for money:
- 68% agree that “Watching films at the cinema is something I value”
- 67% agree that ‘‘The cinema is a good choice for a night out because I/we know exactly what it will cost beforehand’
- 73% agree that “I see a trip to the cinema as a way to treat myself”
Cinema is also rated as significantly more immersive than the experience of watching SVOD or live TV and when it comes to the ads, the audience are far more receptive in cinema. Most (61%) cinemagoers agree that they perceive the ads to be more entertaining than those they see elsewhere.
The relationship between cinema and SVOD
The survey also looked at broader comparisons with SVOD services, highlighting that audiences are also re-assessing SVOD and don’t find current or potential ad tier options that appealing. 24% of cinemagoers in our survey intend to cancel at least one SVOD service subscription, and many would not consider switching to a cheaper subscription with advertising.
On the topic of SVOD, the results of the survey also revealed that releasing a films in cinema continues to be a real marker of quality – particularly those that have exclusive theatrical windows are significantly more likely to be perceived of higher quality versus titles available only on SVOD services.
Benefits of collective cinema experience
The benefits of the collective cinema experience are clear too. Not only do cinemagoers believe the collective viewing heightens the experience but the wellbeing benefits of switching off from other devices and distractions are felt by most too:
- 71% of cinemagoers agree that “Going to the cinema allows me to take a break from social media, my phone and constantly being connected”
- 71% also agree that “Watching a film at the cinema feels more special than watching at home”
- And 66% of cinemagoers agree that “Being part of a cinema audience heightens the experience of a film”
DCM and Old Salt’s 2023 Cinemagoer Insights survey highlights that cinemagoers continue to value the cinema experience, enjoy watching films amongst others, and continue to recognise that they are the home of the highest quality content.