NRG reports that the comfort to return to the cinema is highest among teens (60%) and males under 25 (62%), with women over 25 being the least comfortable to go back to the movies (40%). Males over 25 have a confidence level of 49% with females under 25 at 50%. Overall, 82% of moviegoers say they expect to be "very or somewhat comfortable" once the vaccine is broadly available. That's the highest number NRG has seen in that measure to date. Even after the vaccine is widely accessible, moviegoers do still want safety measures in place (i.e. masking, distancing, etc).
Once the vaccine is in full effect, all demos jump in confidence regarding their anticipation to return to the cinema with males under 25 (83%), males over 25 (84%), females under 25 (85%) and females over 25 (77%). There also continues to be a political divide with conservatives being more comfortable returning than liberals per the analytics corp.
During the week of Feb. 8, 53% of NRG respondents said that they feel movie theaters are "very or somewhat safe", which is also the highest perception the org has seen since mid-November, a point ahead of indoor dining (52%) and six points above attending an indoor religious service (47%).
Another encouraging sign for major studios and exhibitors: 60% of those polled said they expect to next see a movie in theaters within the next three months, which is the highest level that the figure has been since mid-November; dipping as low at 51% as recently as Jan. 25. As more movies hit the marquee in the coming weeks, i.e. Disney's Raya and the Last Dragon, Tom & Jerry and Godzilla vs. Kong, polling numbers are expected to improve.
NRG has been polling frequent moviegoers over three times a week since the Covid crisis began. A frequent moviegoer is defined as a person who attends once a month.
