Consumers’ moods—and purchase intent—goes up at the movies, report finds

Feeling down in the dumps? Heading to the movies may improve your mood—and a good mood just might mean a higher propensity to purchase, according to a new report from trade group the Video Advertising Bureau.

As more users report experiencing negative emotional side effects stemming from their use of social media (and in some cases decrease their use of those platforms), they’re looking to IRL experiences, the report said. Enter movie theaters, which saw an increase in attendees across various age demographics in H1 2024 over 2021: Deadpool & Wolverine and Inside Out 2 notched 19.6 million and 12 million estimated adult attendees in their opening weekends, respectively, per the report.

If attendees experience an elevation in mood while watching content, that can contribute to them looking at brands more favorably, the VAB report found—something that may help boost the case for cinema advertising, which advertisers have already been spending more on this year, Marketing Brew has previously reported.

(It’s worth noting here that several providers of cinema advertising, including Screenvision Media and Spotlight Cinema Networks, are among the VAB’s members.)

Cloud nine: According to the report’s analysis of data on 18+ adults from market researcher MRI-Simmons, 37% of 18- to 24-year olds reported often feeling sad or unhappy after using social media in 2024, an uptick from 2021, when 34% reported the same. Gen Z, millennials, Gen X, and boomers all have dialed back their social media use “for the sake of their mental health” as a result; 56% of consumers reported engaging with social media less.

As consumers move away from social media, they’ve been leaning into “real-life” experiences, which includes movie-going. More than 60% of 18- to 24-year olds attended a movie in the last six months, compared to 44% in 2021. A larger portion of that age cohort (57%) said they preferred to see new movies within their first two weeks of release this year compared to 2021 (51%).

Most moviegoers (78%) spend their time in a good mood during their visits, according to the report. That may be due in part to nostalgia they may experience through movies: 71% of consumers feel nostalgic for movies, more so than for music (64%) and TV shows (60%).

Those good feelings can translate to an 18% increase in brand favorability and a 35% increase in purchase intent, the VAB found.

The box office isn’t bound to slow down any time soon: the next few months will see the releases of several titles expected to bring in big crowds, including Joker: Folie à Deux, Wicked, and Moana 2.