Summary written by Art House Convergence
A recent study from Harvard’s Shorenstein Center has found an untapped market of 40 million viewers hungry for independent film. The U.S. Independent Film Audience & Landscape Survey—conducted by Walter Shorenstein Fellow Keri Putman and contributed to by Art House Convergence (AHC)—is a comprehensive look at today’s independent film landscape and confirmed much of what AHC’s 2024 National Audience Survey found: art house audiences are growing, becoming younger and more diverse, and are deeply invested in their local independent cinemas.
AHC data shows that art house patrons attend theaters more than twice as often as the average moviegoer. Putnam’s report notes that while the overall theatrical sales fell 42.6% from 2019 to 2022, art house exhibitor ticket sales fell at a much smaller percentage—just 25%—despite a precipitous overall drop in available new film product. The report indicates that “this speaks to the innovation of the AHC venues in offering repertory titles and other special events to their constituents to make up for a reduced supply of new films.”
Movies remain popular: We encountered a general perception that films - and in particular smaller films - are not relevant to a new generation. Our research shows that this is not true. In our national survey, 67% of people say they watch movies frequently. 37% (or 100M people) say they watch movies ‘every day or several times a week.’ People 18-24 report the highest percentage of movie watching of any age group at 74% (7% above the average).
“While in the past, art houses have been sporadic at best in utilizing data, AHC’s initiatives around data collection, analysis, and strategic deployment at the individual theater level are making headway in changing this. But as the new report makes clear, there must be industry-wide investment and collaboration. Strengthening theaters’ data infrastructures can build and broaden audiences, provide critical information for targeted marketing efforts, and curate the independent film content audiences are craving; it’s a benefit to theaters, filmmakers, and distributors alike.” – Kate Markham. AHC Managing Director
“There is a massive untapped market for independent film – the audience is there, and they are hungry. But as marketing efforts have flattened and streaming services have increasingly turned away from indies and toward mass fare, our audiences are left out,” – Dr. Alicia Kozma, Director of Indiana University Cinema
Read the full 118-page report: https://www.indiefilmlandscape.org/
