Brits won’t let lockdown ruin their love of cinema, as 75 per cent say they’ll be back

In a recent survey, tastecard, the world’s largest diners’ club, revealed Brits haven’t lost their love for the big screen. Three quarters (75 per cent) of over 8,000 adults polled stated, they have no plans to change their pre-lockdown cinema-going habits once they re-open in July.

Sadly, footfall to cinemas has plummeted to zero during lockdown, however, a boost is on the horizon as 8 per cent of Brits are looking to increase the frequency at which they watch silver screen movies.

This bodes well for the industry as the 8 per cent of those looking to visit more could positively offset the reduction in lost ticket sales by increasing their visits by a factor of one. Although a small percentage (17 per cent) will visit cinemas less frequently, the increase in visits could mean ticket sales restart at pre-lockdown levels.

Surprisingly, of those who have had Covid-19, only 17 per cent will be reducing their visits with the remaining 83 per cent continuing or increasing the number of visits and living life to the full.

This is a similar story for regions that have been affected worse than others by Covid-19. The most affected areas only expected to see a small drop off (19 per cent) in visits whilst the less affected regions look more positive with only a 14 per cent drop off.

In the wake of the pandemic, health isn’t expected to be the biggest reason for lost footfall. Income and finances will be the main barrier for most. The biggest group of Brits reducing their visits will be those who have lost their jobs (21 per cent) or are self-employed with uncertain financial futures (21 per cent).

As a population, northerners are more determined to visit cinemas than their southern counterparts. With the average British town expecting a 17 per cent drop in cinema attendance, London’s screens could see a 22 per cent drop, while the North East is only set to see a 15 per cent reduction in footfall.

Over 40’s will be taking a more cautious approach to visiting theatres than younger Brits. [1]Despite 18-34-year olds spending an average of 64 minutes a day watching Netflix, millennials will ditch streaming services to head back to the cinema with 84 per cent stating they will visit more than or the same as they were pre-lockdown.

Cinemas are continuing to look at ways to support their customers when they re-open, however the study shows that 21 per cent of people believe discounts and deals are now more important than ever before.

Matt Turner, CEO tastecard, said: “Like restaurants, cinemas have had a tough time during lockdown. However, it’s looking positive for the industry as our tastecard study shows that most Brits haven’t been deterred from visiting the cinema, in fact some are more keen to get their cinema fix than ever before. Consumers value discounts now more than ever, so cinemas have a real opportunity to entice Britain back to the movies.”