Millennials (also known as the Millennial Generation or Generation Y) are the demographic group following Generation X. There are no precise dates when the generation starts and ends; most researchers and commentators use birth years ranging from the early 1980s to the early 2000s.

When I was a young man,the ager of today’s millennial generation, myself and my peers used to flock to movie theatres to see movies. There would often be huge lines and packed houses, sights which are rare these days. The recent expansion of digital media (Periscope, Youtube, Netflix, Hulu), movie is been put on the backburner and is now second banada to television programming. The act of going to the movies used to have broad appeal.

It’s now all changed,

In contrast to TV, movies are more of a time commitment, not to mention the strain they put on your wallet. With the increase of ticket prices, less people want to go to movies. Bloomberg Business Week states that over the past decade the price of the average movie ticket has increased by nearly one-third, it’s now at $8.64, an all time high. And with the addition of 3D and IMAX, tickets are even more expensive. As a result, movies theaters usually rely on “frequent flyer”- people who go to movies at least once a month- to fill the seats.

High ticket prices are the number one reason for dissatisfaction across age demographics and by movie-going frequency. Despite advanced technology, better seating, improved concessions and the return of 3D movies, the negative of higher ticket prices is almost impossible to counter-act. And of course there is the price on concessions.

The growth of modern technology-online media and portable devices, have made it so easy to enjoy movies anywhere you want. In a survey conducted by VisionCritical.com, it was determined that the millennial generation watches less programmed television and about only one-third of millennials watch scheduled TV at all. This reflects on movies of course. A lot of Millennials rely solely on streaming services and social media as their viewing resource. With the exception of live sporting events which lose relevance quickly, most millennnials are content with catching up on their movies well after its intial release dat. This does not bode well for movie theatres. The cachet of a release date is becoming less relevant to the rising generation of consumers.

Here are some key habits of these consumers to keep in mind;

The preferred entertainment platform is the phone– Millennials used to have to wait to get home to play a game via their play station or Xbox or computer. What an enormous drag on their time. Games can be played anytime, anywhere with your smartphone. It’s clear that millennials, who have grown up with phones and know all of the tricks of how a phone can really work prefer to play games more than any other form of entertainment.

“Content churning” is the new normal – It’s impossible to ask any millennial what their favorite content is, and that is because of the variety of programming changes day by day. They get bored of movies, television and games quicker than in the past. There appears to be an expanding boredom factor with any form of content . I asked a group of Millennial who Humphrey Bogart was and they had no idea. Scary

Big screens erodes theatres –63% of Millennials surveyed said that their favorite place to watch a movie is on their big screen TV at home and a mere 25% would rather visit a movie theatre. This is key. Sitting down to watch a movie for 90 minutes? The couch, a fridge and a big screen will always be more fun. This did not used to be the case.

Everyone enjoys a laugh – “What is your favorite genre of movies?” a typical Millennial reply is “Comedy, why? No matter who you are, everyone always wants a good laugh! Millennials are all about the humor and positivity that comedic movies give off

The Vastness Of Content- This leads to binge watching of TV Series– if you can watch your favorite content on any device anywhere you are, your habits change. For Millennials, 85% prefer to watch episodes from a TV Show Series, rather than a single movie. The ability to watch anywhere, anytime plus Netflix and Amazon’s services lead to binge-watching, and binge-watching will always favor television series. Additionally, a list of VPN services that work with Netflix, Amazon, and other services tends to provide viewers access to several series across the globe by switching country location. This is a game-changer for movie theatres.

Millennial Decision Based Movie Going

Film genre is the biggest driver of movie viewing led by action/adventure, followed closely by comedies. Thrillers and dramas trailed by some distance, but viewership is higher for those genres among 50-59 year olds. Horror films resonate significantly with younger audiences. Movie content and wanting a night out are significantly more influential to younger adults ages 18-34 than to their older counterparts ages 35-59.

Consumers are receptive to incentives aimed at motivating interest and frequency. Nothing is as motivating as lowering ticket prices. Fifty-three percent of all movie goers are interested in last-minute cheap seats. The monthly movie subscription has the greatest opportunity for incremental box office upside generated from less frequent movie goers who are cautiously interested. Reviewers, ads and social media have less influence on consumers’ movie selections as they are more strongly swayed when a friend makes a recommendation. Word of mouth is so key to this emerging market.

Overall, 35 percent of all respondents claim to be influenced by recommendations of peers, among the 18-34 range. Social network recommendations and commentary ranked last with only 17 percent stating that type of movie suggestion as influential. In a critical time for both the movie theaters and studios, both parties as well as other industry business units will have to transform and modify business objectives to up the ante on box office numbers, including: Focus on the core audience, which lies among 18-34 year olds and frequent movie goers. As the most movie-involved groups, they are most likely to be influenced by pricing, affinity programs and other perks. Theatre owners might consider incentive programs, such as monthly movie subscriptions to compete with the Netflix’s of the world this can be key when lowering ticket prices across the board is not likely a viable option. Theatre Owners need to continue to promote the benefits of the intheater experience. Remember that content is still king. Started focusing on integrating some alternative content.

Here is a quote from a Millennial which might some up the overall attitude to movie going by an often confusing demographic ” These days you can do a lot more for $10 than sit down, you can just go rent the movie a month later for a couple of bucks. ”