ANALYSIS

Oscars 2026: Hispanics and young people lead the way in movie theater visits

The peak year for theatrical attendance in the U.S. and Canada was 2002, with approximately 1.6 billion tickets sold, nearly five per person. During the COVID-19 pandemic, sales plummeted 81% in 2020, to 231.6 million tickets, and recovery has been slow.

A movie clapperboard (File photo).PA/Cordon Press.

Published by

Williams Perdomo

14 de marzo, 2026

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The countdown to the 98th Academy Awards has already begun. On March 15, the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles will once again bring together the most influential figures in the world of cinema to celebrate the best of the industry. However, amid the rise of streaming and changing consumer habits, a key question arises: how many Americans have been to the movies recently?

A Pew Research survey recently released revealed that 53% of Americans claimed in the summer of 2025 to have seen a movie in the theater in the previous year. A small percentage (7%) claimed to have never seen a movie in the theater.

According to the study, younger adults were more likely than older adults to say they had been to the movies in the previous year. Two-thirds of those aged 18 to 29 had done so, compared with 39% of people aged 65 and older.

Hispanics like the movies

The analysis also indicated that 59% of Hispanic adults had gone to the movies in the previous year, a higher proportion than that recorded among white (53%) and black (49%) adults. Moreover, attendance varied by income level: 64% of high-income adults said they had gone to the movies, compared with 57% of those with middle incomes and 43% of those with lower incomes.

On the other hand, gender does not appear to be a determining factor. Men (53%) and women (54%) were about equally likely to say they had been to the movies in the past year.

Hispanos por el Oscar 2026: Wagner Moura (I), Guillermo del Toro (C) Benicio del Toro(D)

Entertainment

Hispanic talent in the running for the Oscar in 2026

Diane Hernández

From record to slow recovery for movie theaters

The study also concluded that the peak year for movie-going in the United States and Canada was 2002, with approximately 1.6 billion tickets sold, nearly five per person. During the COVID-19 pandemic, sales plummeted 81% in 2020, to 231.6 million tickets, and recovery has been slow. In 2025, 769.2 million tickets were sold, about two per person, less than half the 2002 level.

In terms of revenue, the box office peaked in 2002 at $16.4 billion (adjusted to 2025), driven by big franchises. During the 2000s and 2010s, revenues fluctuated between $14 billion and $16 billion, but fell below $3 billion in 2020. By 2025, box office sales were back above $9 billion, though still far from historical levels.