Going to the Movies, by Generation

Millennials go to the movies more frequently than Boomers or Gen Xers, according to an AARP survey. The 56 percent majority of Millennials say they go to a theater to see a film at least once a month. For Gen Xers, a smaller 44 percent go to a movie at least monthly. Among Boomers, only 22 percent attend a movie that often.

Although Boomers do not go to the movies as often as younger people, fully 71 percent go to a movie at least once a year. The annual attendance figure is 84 percent for Gen Xers and 89 percent for Millennials.

When asked whether in-home entertainment options and streaming have reduced their movie going, a large share of every generation says yes—52 percent of Boomers, 49 percent of Gen Xers, and 56 percent of Millennials.

Source: AARP, What Boomers Want: Insights into Cinema Experience Preferences and Behaviors

Fastest-Growing Entertainment Categories

The average household spent $2,913 on entertainment in 2016, only 3 percent more than the $2,828 of 2006, after adjusting for inflation. But spending has surged in some categories over the decade. These are the five entertainment categories with the fastest growth in average household spending between 2006 and 2016, after adjusting for inflation...

1. Streamed and downloaded video: The average household spent just $1.23 on this category in 2006, and $30.06 in 2016—an increase of more than 2,000 percent as streaming and downloading video replaced watching video cassettes and DVDs. 

2. Pets: Average household spending on pets climbed 55 percent between 2006 and 2016. The $586 spent by the average household on pets ranked a lofty 21st among the items on which the average household spent the most in 2016—higher than women's clothes, alcoholic beverages, and internet service.

3. Hunting/fishing equipment. Guns are included in this entertainment category. Between 2006 and 2016, average household spending on hunting/fishing equipment increased 54 percent. The biggest spenders on hunting/fishing equipment are non-Hispanic Whites. Between 2006 and 2016, households headed by non-Hispanic Whites boosted their spending on hunting/fishing equipment by 63 percent.

4. Toys, games, arts and crafts: Average household spending on toys grew 47 percent between 2006 and 2016. While this is an impressive rise, toy spending did not grow as fast as pet spending. In 2016, the average household spent only about one-quarter as much on toys as it spent on pets. 

5. Bicycles: It may be no coincidence that average household spending on bicycles grew by an impressive 46 percent just as spending on new cars and trucks fell 23 percent. The 2006-to-2016 surge in spending on bicycles may explain why bicycle repairer is projected to be the 11th fastest-growing occupation in the decade ahead. 

Source: Demo Memo analysis of the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Consumer Expenditure Surveys 

Spending on Entertainment Rises with Education

The average household spent $2,482 on entertainment in 2013, according to the Consumer Expenditure Survey. Spending varies greatly by educational attainment. Here is average annual spending on entertainment by the highest level of education of any household member...

Average household spending on entertainment in 2013
$1,065, less than high school
$1,530, high school graduate
$1,965, some college
$2,636, associate's degree
$3,089, bachelor's degree
$4,158, graduate or professional degree

Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics, Movies, Music, and Sports: U.S. Entertainment Spending, 2008-2013

How Many Movies?

Two out of three Americans say they're going to the movies less often than they did a few years ago, according to a Harris survey. By generation, here is the percentage of adults who went to a movie in the past year (and the average number of movies seen during the year)…

68% of total adults (4.8 movies)
83% of millennials (6.3 movies)
73% of generation Xers (5.3 movies)
59% of baby boomers (3.6 movies)
44% of older Americans (3.2 movies)

Source: Harris Interactive, The Silver Screen Slump: Americans Say They're Going to the Movies Less Often