Moviegoing in the wake of a pandemic: Re-evaluating the attitudes, intentions, and behaviors of U.S. Moviegoers in the streaming era

ABSTRACT

In the last decade, streaming services rose to create an entirely new market of high-quality content that would coexist with the traditional theatrical release model; however, the COVID-19 pandemic changed everything. As the theatrical industry struggles to recover from the consequences of the pandemic-era streaming boom, scholars and industry practitioners alike are in desperate need of actionable, data-driven insights that look beyond pre-pandemic industry precedent. Our research aims to fill the research gap by expanding the scope of who the industry has traditionally targeted as a “moviegoer.” This study uses exploratory survey data to reevaluate moviegoer attitudes, intentions, and behaviors for watching a film via streaming services vs. in movie theaters. Our analysis presents significant implications for long-term U.S. film industry recovery in the post-pandemic streaming era.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Chris DeFelice

Chris DeFelice is a doctoral student at the University of Florida. DeFelice’s research interests revolve around the changing consumer behavior in the film/television industry in the new media age of streaming and AI. More generally, he focuses on consumer behavior on social media as it pertains to various industries such as journalism and entertainment. Email: [email protected]

Lance Porter

Lance Porter (Ph.D., University of Georgia) is the Class of 1941 Alumni Professor and the founding director of the Social Media Analysis and Creation (SMAC) Lab. Porter has focused on digital media since 1995. Before coming to LSU, Porter spent four years as executive director of digital marketing for Disney’s film studio. His research focuses on emerging media and power. Email: [email protected]

Seon-Woo Kim

Seon-Woo Kim (Ph.D., Louisiana State University) is an assistant professor in the School of Communication at Northern Arizona University. With a background primarily in civic activism, digital marketing, and computational social science (M.S. in Analytics), his current research focuses on strategic communication in business, politics, and health. His work has appeared in refereed journals, such as Public Relations Review, PLOS One, International Journal of Communication, and more. Email: [email protected]