Cheaper tickets and vaccine mandates are the things that will get former filmgoers back to cinemas according to a new study commissioned by Quorum, Cultique and Fanthropology.
Surveying more than 2,500 cinemas pre-pandemic moviegoers, they discovered 49% of those polled now no longer go to cinemas.
This reluctance mostly comes down to several factors with 59% saying they don’t feel safe in theaters. Around 33% of people surveyed say customers being required to present proof of COVID-19 vaccination would make them more comfortable about seeing a movie in theaters.
Not everyone is on board with this idea however as around 20% of respondents view such vaccine requirements as an ‘infringement’.
Meanwhile some 70% of avid moviegoers and 66% of infrequent moviegoers indicate they would go more often if moviegoing was less expensive. In addition, 65% complain that buying snacks at cinemas is too expensive.
The news comes in the wake of the Thanksgiving holiday weekend which saw a drop of nearly $100 million from pre-pandemic levels, despite three new wide releases and several small ones opening.
Source: Variety