Hispanics at the Movies [INSIGHT]

Latinos are an important segment for businesses related to the movies. To illustrate the latest on Hispanic movie habits, Tr3s took a look in a recent report, “Hispanics at the Movies.”

Here are key findings:

Hispanics buy 1 in every 4 movie tickets. Not only do they represent a quarter of movie ticket purchases in the US, Latinos represent 1 in every 6 moviegoers.

They are more frequent moviegoers. The average Latino went to the movies 6.4 times in 2012. They average more movies per year than people in the US overall (4.1 movies), as well as African-Americans (3.8 movies) and non-Hispanic whites (3.6 movies). Compared with non-Hispanic whites, Hispanics go to the movies 56% more often.
Hispanic moviegoers are young. Latino moviegoers skew younger than the overall population of adults who go to the movies. Half of adult Hispanic moviegoers are under 35, compared with 36% of moviegoers overall.

They like to be “in the know” about new films. Hispanic Adult Millennials are 135% more likely to see a movie opening weekend than non-Hispanics. One of their main reasons for seeing new flicks when they come out is to join in on discussions about them (66% Hispanics, 53% non-Hispanics). In fact, those discussions can even occur during the movie – Hispanics are 22% more likely than non-Hispanics to use mobile devices in the theater.  

Movies are fun for the whole family. Three-quarters of Hispanic Adult Millennials go to the movies at least half the time with family (115 index vs. non-Hispanics). And teen/young adult family members feel they have a say in what movies the family sees. Among Hispanics 13 to 24, 76% feel they have a strong influence on their family’s choice of movies.
Movies can be romantic, too. Like non-Hispanics (but to a lesser degree), Hispanics see movies as a social occasion for everyone (59% Hispanic, 66% non-Hispanic). But Hispanic men in particular are more likely to view it as a romantic occasion than non-Hispanic men (33% Hispanic, 26% non-Hispanic).

Latinos are fans of all major genres – especially Action/Adventure. Nearly 7 in 10 Hispanic adults saw an Action/Adventure movie in the theater in the last 6 months. In this genre – as well as Comedy (51%), Horror (27%), Drama (32%), Thriller (24%), and Science Fiction (24%) – Hispanics over-index compared with non-Hispanics.  

Hispanics are more aware of advertising in the theater. Hispanics are considerably more likely than non-Hispanics to pay attention to commercials in the theater (51% Hispanic, 40% non-Hispanic). They’re also more likely to notice ads in theater lobbies (45% Hispanic, 40% non-Hispanic).

Source: Tr3s, “Hispanics at the Movies,” Jan ’14 (MPAA 2012 Theatrical Statistics; Simmons, Summer 2013 NHCS Adult Survey 12-month; Tr3s 2014 Hispanic Millennial Study; 2011 Tr3s Influencer Study)