Millennials and Gen Z are keeping blockbusters alive

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Are summer blockbusters alive and well or a thing of the past? The American movie audience is split.

A new survey examining the movie preferences of 2,000 people saw 30% of movie diehards say the summer blockbuster is actually bigger than ever before.

A fifth (21%) are more critical, however, feeling there are too many sequels and remakes around at the moment.

The findings come from a movie habits survey conducted by Talker Research, which saw a stronger-minded one in ten (11%) say the summer blockbuster is officially dead and they’d rather stream at home.

And a nonchalant 15% said they’ve never cared about blockbuster season in the first place, while nearly a quarter (23%) couldn’t decide where they stand.

Millennials are the biggest fans of summer blockbusters, with 37% deeming them alive and well, followed by Gen Z (35%). Enthusiasm for summer smash movies wanes with age, dropping to 30% of Gen X and just 20% of boomers.

About one in six (17%) still feel the best way to see a summer movie is opening weekend in the movie theater, while 21% are theater-goers but prefer to wait a few weeks. In both cases, theater attendance heavily declines by age, with 56% of Gen Z preferring to catch a movie on the big screen versus 19% of boomers.

Thirty-four percent of the 2,000 polled said their preference is always to stream the movie at home whenever it becomes available.

When asked what new movies they’re excited to watch most this summer, “Toy Story 5” topped the list, followed by “Spider-Man: Brand New Day.”

“The Devil Wears Prada 2,” “Minions and Monsters” and “Supergirl” completed the top five.

Long-running features like the 2h 53m epic “The Odyssey” and 2h 25m “Disclosure Day” also featured inside the top 10, coming in at 8th and 9th.

And length may be one factor contributing to the movie choices of Americans this summer and whether they watch at home or in a theater. Talker Research’s earlier reporting on the same survey found the ideal movie length is just 88 minutes.

MOVIES WE’RE MOST EXCITED FOR THIS SUMMER

“Toy Story 5”
“Spider-Man: Brand New Day”
“The Devil Wears Prada 2”
“Minions & Monsters”
“Supergirl”
“Jackass: Best and Last”
“Moana” (live action)
“The Odyssey”
“Disclosure Day”
“The Dog Stars”

Survey methodology

Talker Research surveyed 2,000 Americans; the survey was administered and conducted online by Talker Research between Jun 11, 2026 – Jun 17, 2026. A link to the questionnaire can be found here.

To view the complete methodology as part of AAPOR’s Transparency Initiative, please visit the Talker Research Process and Methodology page.

Survey questions

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