Can Gen Z Save Hollywood?

Can Gen Z Save Hollywood? They love PG movies, buy tickets with their whole family, and post their reviews on social media. Now they’re the primary customers at movie theaters. By Pamela McClintock , Lily Ford March 11, 2026 Share on Facebook Share on X Google Preferred Share to Flipboard Show additional share options Share on LinkedIn Share on Pinterest Share on Reddit Share on Tumblr Share on Whats App Send an Email Print the Article Post a Comment Few could have predicted Disney’s Zootopia 2 would become the top-grossing 2025 film ahead of Avatar: Fire and Ash , collecting $1.86 billion in worldwide ticket sales, or that Disney’s live-action Lilo & Stitch would place among the three movies to cross $1 billion. This year brought more surprises: Iron Lung , a tiny asteroid of a movie self-released by YouTube star Mark Fischbach (aka Markiplier) that stunned with $40 million, and Paramount’s panned Scream 7 , which defied logic in opening to $64 million, a franchise best and $20 million ahead of expectations. On the specialty side, there’s Neon’s foreign-language films A Sentimental Value and A Secret Agent , which are both competing in the Oscar best picture race and are hovering in the $4 million to $6 million range. Related Stories Business The Fight Over AI in Hollywood Is a Battle Between Money and Activism Reporter's Notebook Behind the Writers Guild's Internal Revolt The common denominator? Zoomers, aka Gen Zers, whom some had written off as anti-moviegoing, since they were the first generation to bond 24/7 with an iPhone or other device. Yes, social media has them craving a collective experience, resulting in a rise in theatergoing among those born between 1997 and 2012. “Generation Z is ironically drawn to the classic analog experience of going to the movie theater,” says Comscore’s Paul Dergarabedian. “They are able to blend this traditional activity with their digital lives, using theater outings as fodder for social engagement.” Gen Zers are becoming a l...