Moviegoing in the wake of a pandemic: Re-evaluating the attitudes, intentions, and behaviors of U.S. Moviegoers in the streaming era

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ABSTRACT In the last decade, streaming services rose to create an entirely new market of high-quality content that would coexist with the traditional theatrical release model; however, the COVID-19 pandemic changed everything. As the theatrical industry struggles to recover from the consequences of the pandemic-era streaming boom, scholars and industry practitioners alike are in desperate need of actionable, data-driven insights that look beyond pre-pandemic industry precedent. Our research aims to fill the research gap by expanding the scope of who the industry has traditionally targeted as a “moviegoer.” This study uses exploratory survey data to reevaluate moviegoer attitudes, intentions, and behaviors for watching a film via streaming services vs. in movie theaters. Our analysis presents significant implications for long-term U.S. film industry recovery in the post-pandemic streaming era.