The teen moviegoers who came out in full force to support Minecraft still like going to theaters, but they are not buying everything Hollywood is selling.
Puck News got its hands on a new report that asked 200 kids nationwide, aged 17 and 18, about their moviegoing habits, and the results paint a clear picture.
Teens still see theaters as a place for friends, social bonding, and big emotional reactions, but they are also tired of studio greed, franchise overload, lazy remakes, and what the report describes as “woke” algorithm-driven content changes.
Teen Moviegoers Still Like Theaters
According to Puck News, the teens surveyed overwhelmingly like going to the movies and view theaters as a “critical physical environment for social gathering, community bonding, and collective emotional expression.”
So no, the problem is not that kids hate theaters.
The problem is with the content, as they are picky about what gets them there.
Established IP still matters. High-concept horror also remains a draw. Teens are still interested in big brands, major franchises, and movies that feel like an event.
But they are not blindly loyal to Hollywood just because a studio slaps a familiar title on a poster or the film goes with a big-name actor.
Marvel Slowdown Seen As A Good Thing
One of the most interesting parts of the report involves Marvel.
Puck News says the teens viewed Marvel’s reduced output as a positive for quality control. One teen reportedly said, “Marvel was making too many, so it’s good to slow down.”
That tracks with what a lot of fans have been saying for years. Marvel flooded the market with low-quality theatrical releases and Disney+ shows, sequels, spin-offs, and multiverse content. The result was burnout.
The good news for Marvel is that it still tops DC in the eyes of the teens surveyed. The bad news is that Marvel is no longer bulletproof.
Marvel still matters, but the days of showing up for every Marvel project appear to be over. This also exactly fits with that recent Marvel insiders report.
DC Gets Credit For James Gunn Reset
DC also gets an interesting mention in the report.
Puck News says Marvel still ranks ahead of DC among the teens, but many of them liked the creative reset at DC under James Gunn, which followed DC bombs, such as Birds of Prey and The Flash.
However, no mention of Supergirl is included (interest is dropping), which is notable since the movie opens in a month and fan interest has dipped following Alcock’s controversial comments.
The report mentions Gunn’s DC reset, but not the next DCU movie starring Milly Alcock or even Superman (my son liked it).
Masters Of The Universe, Disclosure Day Seen As “For Boomers”
Masters of the Universe also comes up, and the reaction is not great.
According to Puck News, the property was perceived as not relevant by the teens surveyed. One kid reportedly said, “I like the idea of it but it’s for Boomers.” Same with Spielberg’s upcoming Disclosure Day.
The good news for Masters of the Universe is that audience tracking has been improving. Awareness is reportedly up 6 points to 46, while interest is up 2 points to 43. Interest in Disclosure Day is flat.
Teens Reject Woke Algorithmic Content
The biggest red flag for Hollywood comes from what the teens said they do not want.
Puck News reports that the kids specifically rejected “perceived studio corporate greed, oversaturation, and ‘woke’ algorithmic content modifications.”
Young audiences are not just rejecting too many sequels. They are also pushing back on content that feels manufactured by studios trying to check boxes, chase trends, or manipulate social media narratives (interestingly enough, the latest audience interest numbers for Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey suffered a big drop).
This is the same problem Hollywood has faced with older fans. The difference is that studios often claim younger audiences want this kind of content. The report suggests the exact opposite.
Stars Matter Less As Social Media Drives Awareness
The report also found that stars are not the automatic draw they used to be, as teens cited “content and concept” over celebrity names when deciding what to watch.
Some actors were even viewed as overexposed, including Chris Hemsworth and Pedro Pascal, while Zendaya, Dwayne Johnson, and Kevin Hart were criticized for playing the same types of roles. Sydney Sweeney was also described as polarizing.
Directors don’t seem to matter much to this group, either, outside of names like Christopher Nolan and Quentin Tarantino.
Instead, teens are finding out about movies through videos, mashups, social media, friends, and influencers.
As one teen put it, “Nobody watches commercials anymore” (exactly what my son said about the marketing surrounding MKII, which flopped).
Rotten Tomatoes and Letterboxd also play a role, along with in-theater trailers, but the real awareness machine is online.
