The summer 2025 movie season tells a tale of two realities: while nearly a third of consumers skipped theaters entirely, those who did venture out drove box office growth enough to stoke industry optimism for the second half of the year and Hollywood’s make-or-break holiday releases.
New data from Attain reveals that 32% of respondents did not attend movie theaters this summer, and among those who did, only 37% reported having an excellent or good experience. The most-watched summer releases were horror sequel Final Destination: Bloodlines (14%), followed by Jurassic World: Rebirth (10%) and the live-action Lilo & Stitch (10%).
Yet beneath this tale of depressed consumer sentiment, are signs of a surprisingly encouraging financial picture. AMC sales surged approximately 33% compared to last summer, with the strongest week coinciding with the releases of Lilo & Stitch, Mission: Impossible: Final Reckoning, and Final Destination: Bloodlines.
The summer’s success was built on a foundation of established franchises and nostalgic properties, according to Kevin Mastro, director of Insights and Measurement at cinema ad network Screenvision Media. The season kicked off with Minecraft setting records as the biggest opening weekend for a video game adaptation at $163 million, ultimately reaching $424 million domestically.
“We kind of had a great lead into the summer season, thanks to a really strong April,” Mastro said, noting that Minecraft became the top-grossing movie of the year so far. The momentum continued with Memorial Day weekend achieving the highest-grossing box office ever at $330 million, driven by Lilo & Stitch’s $183 million opening and Mission Impossible: The Final Reckoning’s $77 million debut.
Despite consumer hesitation reflected in Attain’s survey data, Screenvision’s metrics show a wider picture of moviegoers’ spending. Jen Friedlander, SVP of Insights & Measurement at Screenvision Media, pointed to broader participation rates: “76% of the population saw at least one movie in the theater in 2024, which has been consistent since 2019,” she said.
Attain’s data shows a persistent challenge for theaters: 39% of respondents preferred streaming movies at home this summer, highlighting ongoing competition from at-home entertainment. Additionally, 73% did not purchase any movie-related merchandise, suggesting limited engagement beyond the core viewing experience.
However, Friedlander said that cinema’s unique value proposition remains strong, particularly for reaching younger audiences. “This summer to date cinema reached 50% of adults 18-34, 43% of adults 18-49, 33% of persons 2 and up,” she added, emphasizing cinema’s role as one of the few remaining mass-reach mediums, particularly for coveted age groups.
The theatrical experience also delivered higher engagement metrics for those who attended. Among various viewing formats, IMAX proved most popular at 25%, followed closely by standard screenings at 24%, while drive-ins and Dolby experiences each captured 12% of preferences, Screenvision data show.
While franchises dominated the box office, original content also showed surprising strength. Mastro noted the success of R-rated thriller Sinners, which achieved the biggest Easter weekend opening and became the highest-grossing R-rated film of 2025 with $279 million domestically.
“We love seeing original films with cool, interesting, new ideas, doing really well,” Mastro said, noting that the supernatural thriller Sinners dropped only 5% from its opening weekend to its second week — “pretty much unheard of” in the industry, he added.
This success with original content, combined with franchise performances, helped create what Friedlander describes as “a perfect mix of sequels, remakes and original content that spanned family films to horror.”
Despite mixed summer consumer sentiment, the industry is projecting significant growth ahead. More than 850 million tickets are expected to be sold this year, representing a 6% increase over 2024. Perhaps more telling, Q4 2025 is expected to be the largest fourth quarter for cinema since 2019, with over 256 million tickets projected to be sold.
“We're expecting to be about 15% ahead of Q4 last year,” Friedlander said, pointing to a strong slate including Wicked For Good, The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants, Avatar: Fire and Ash, and Five Nights at Freddy’s 2 among the nine-plus blockbusters-in-waiting.
The disconnect between Attain’s consumer sentiment data and industry performance metrics suggests that while fewer people may be expressing enthusiasm about their theater experiences, those who do attend are spending more and driving meaningful revenue growth.
As Friedlander put it, the enduring appeal transcends the numbers. “People want to get out of the house, they still want to get together in person. We love connecting... people really value coming into the cinema with their family, with their friends. It’s a feel-good experience. It’s a memorable, communal experience that you can’t simply get at home.”
