• One half of the population has seen a movie in a theatre within the last six months.
• Canadians largely prefer to watch movies from the comfort of their home, though a quarter would rather see movies on the big screen.
January 30, 2025
As movie award season kicks off, Narrative Research wanted to hear from Canadians about their theatre-going habits and movie-watching preferences.
According to the results of our national survey, one-half of Canadians have seen a movie in the theatre within the past six months, with two in ten overall having seen a movie in theatres in the past month, another two in ten within the past one to three months, and 13 percent within the past three to six months. That said, not everyone is an avid movie-goer, with four in ten saying it has been over a year since they saw a movie at the theatre. In terms of frequency of visitation, one-half say they go at least two to three times a year or more often. Approximately three in ten say they go once a year or less often and under two in ten say they never go to the theatre at all.
Across demographics, movie-going is more popular among younger residents. Indeed, Gen Z and Millennials are more likely than Baby Boomers to have gone to the movie theatre within the past three months, and to say they typically go to the movie theatre at least every few months. Atlantic Canadian residents are less likely than Canadians living in other regions to go to the theatre more than a couple times a year. Those who are employed full-time are more likely to have gone to the theatre within the past six months and to say they go to the theatres at least every few months, compared to those who are homemakers, students, or retired. Canadians with a higher household income are more likely to frequent movie theatres, compared to those with a lower household income.
Furthermore, we asked Canadians about their ideal way to watch a movie. Just under two-thirds of Canadians say their preferred way to watch a movie is at home on a streaming service, one-quarter prefer the movie theatre, and five percent say they would ideally like to watch a movie at a friend’s or family member’s home. Quebec residents are less likely to cite movie theatres as their ideal way to watch a movie, compared to those living elsewhere. Millennials are less likely to say that their ideal way to watch a movie is at home on a streaming service but more likely to say their ideal way to watch a movie is at the theatres. Canadians with a household income of $100,000 or more are more likely to say their ideal movie watching experience is at the theatres.
Finally, we asked Canadians about their biggest pet peeve is at the movie theatre. Overall, people talking in movies theatres came out as Canadians’ biggest movie theatre pet peeve (40%). This was followed by one-quarter mentioning cellphone use and one in ten mentioning loud eating. Only six percent of Canadians said their biggest pet peeve is late arrivals, while four percent cited the cost. Across age groups, Gen Z is more likely to cite loud eating as their biggest pet peeve.
The questions asked were:
When was the last time you saw a movie in a movie theatre?
– Within the past month
– Within the past 3 months
– Within the past 6 months
– Within the past year
– More than a year ago
How often do you typically go to a movie theatre?
– Monthly
– Every few months
– At least 2-3 times a year
– Once a year or less often
– Never
What’s your ideal way to watch a movie?
– In the theatre
– At home on streaming services
– At a friend’s or family member’s place
– Other
What’s your biggest pet peeve at the movie theatre?
– People talking
– Cell phone use
– Loud eating
– Late arrivals
– Other (specify_______)
– Don’t know/not sure
Results are from an online survey conducted in partnership between Narrative Research and the Logit Group. The survey was conducted between January 9 and 13, 2025 with 1,231 Canadians, 18 years of age or older from the Logit Group’s online Canadian Omnibus. Data were weighted based on the 2021 Census, by gender, age, and region to reflect actual population distribution. For more information, please contact:
Margaret Chapman, COO & Partner, Narrative Research – 902.493.3834, mchapman@narrativeresearch.ca
OR
Sam Pisani, Managing Partner, Logit Group – 416.629.4116, sam.pisani@logitgroup.com
Narrative Research (www.narrativeresearch.ca), is a non-partisan, 100% Canadian-owned, research company, certified as a Women Business Enterprise (WBE). Narrative Research provides clients with state-of-the-art research and strategic consulting services.
The Logit Group (https://logitgroup.com/) is a leading North American data collection and market research execution company headquartered in Toronto, conducting large-scale projects for a variety of well-known research agencies and brands. Logit employs industry-best technologies across an array of methodologies, and is independent, experienced and quality-oriented.
