Have DVD rentals eradicated the movie theatre experience ?
While summer is usually a time to get outside and enjoy the sunshine, it seems this season’s scorching heat may be making more and more Canadians take part in indoor activities instead. According to a new OMNI-Maclean’s Poll conducted by Pollara, given the option, 54% of Canadians would choose to watch a movie at home on DVD rather than venture out and go to a movie theatre. Only 35% of those polled would choose the movie theatre experience. Middle-aged Canadians at 61% are most likely to prefer the DVD experience over going to a movie theatre. Perhaps moviegoers no longer want to get up and go and prefer the flexibility of watching movies on their own schedules, in the comfort of their own home, on their own home theater setups. Alternatively, young Canadians at 45% prefer to see a movie at the theatre.
However, despite these findings, 62% of Canadians that do prefer the theatre experience indicate their frequency of movie going is the same this year as last year. While less than one-quarter admit to seeing fewer movies in the last year, only 10% have gone to more. Regionally, Québecers at 53% are the least likely to report seeing the same number of movies in the past year. While statistically, there are no differences in movie viewing when it comes to gender and household income; age is definitely a factor in the frequency of movie going compared to last year. That is, older Canadians had less of a change in their habits than younger Canadians.
So, why are fewer Canadians going out to the movies? According to our poll, 35% of Canadians who have seen fewer films this year blame the cost and busy schedules. Other reasons for the diminishing theatre attendance include the cost of snacks at 17%, movie quality at 15%, and the speed that movies arrive on DVD at 9%.
As Canadians age, they are less likely to blame their lack of time on the reason for seeing fewer movies. Forty-one percent of middle-aged Canadians offer the cost of movie tickets as the reason for their diminished movie going, while women at 17% are more likely than their male counterparts at 8% to prefer watching movies at home.
Summary of Findings
In total, 1259 interviews were conducted with Canadians 18 years of age and older across the country.
Two-thirds (62%) of Canadians claim to have seen the same amount of movies this year as the last. Less than one-quarter (23%) admit to seeing fewer movies, while 10% indicate they have seen more this year than last.
| N=1,259 |
% |
| More in the last year |
10 |
| The Same |
62 |
| Fewer in the last year |
23 |
| Don’t Know/Refused |
5 |
Why have you gone to fewer movies in the past year than a year ago?
| N=271 |
% |
| Cost of Movie Ticket |
35 |
| No Time/Too Busy |
35 |
| Cost of Snacks |
17 |
| Movie Quality |
15 |
| Move Theatre Not As Good As Watching At Home |
13 |
| Less Time To Wait for Movie To Buy/Be on DVD |
9 |
| Skepticism Towards the Promotional Hype |
5 |
| Theatres are Too Busy |
3 |
| Other |
24 |
| DK/REF. |
1 |
Residents of the Prairies (27%) are the most likely to enjoy the home experience over the movie theatre experience than any other region.
| Region |
Cost of Movie Ticket |
No Time/Too Busy |
Cost of Snacks |
Movie Quality |
Home is Better |
| N=271 |
% |
% |
% |
% |
% |
| Total |
35 |
35 |
17 |
15 |
13 |
| Atlantic |
47 |
25 |
12 |
10 |
6 |
| Quebec |
13 |
43 |
3 |
18 |
3 |
| Ontario |
39 |
32 |
21 |
10 |
13 |
| Prairies |
55 |
38 |
33 |
22 |
27 |
| BC/Territories |
37 |
28 |
20 |
22 |
17 |
| Region |
Less Time to Wait for DVD |
Skepticism Toward Promotional Hype |
Theatres Too Busy |
Other |
DK/
REF |
| N=271 |
% |
% |
% |
% |
% |
| Total |
9 |
5 |
3 |
24 |
1 |
| Atlantic |
4 |
- |
4 |
23 |
1 |
| Quebec |
5 |
- |
- |
26 |
2 |
| Ontario |
8 |
5 |
3 |
27 |
2 |
| Prairies |
13 |
10 |
4 |
14 |
- |
| BC/Territories |
20 |
13 |
- |
20 |
- |
