Gen Alpha could be the key to future box office success, per some new findings. Made up of people born between the early 2010s to present, Gen Alpha is already being seen by Disney and other studios as the next big market to reach after making a humongous impact on 2025’s box office.

Gen Alpha has tended to be big Jack Black fans, but the rest of what the new generation loves remains to be seen reflected in the theatrical landscape. This latest generation has entered into a world that has been filled with all kinds of pervasive technology, and has never known life in the Western world without constant interconnectivity.

With all these details as a given, it is beginning to seem as though tastes in how media is consumed might be changing for this new audience. While movies for Millennials and Gen Z are increasingly watched at home, this younger generation has expressed a willingness to support the theatrical industry that has taken Hollywood by surprise.

Gen Alpha Wants To Go To Theaters The Most Of Any Generation

While other generations have begun to avoid theaters, there is still hope. ᴅᴇᴀᴅline reports that an NRG study was conducted, polling 6,100 moviegoers between the ages of 6 and 60. Exceeding all other demographics, those aged 12 and under responded enthusiastically, with 59% preferring to watch movies in the theatre, and only 24% preferring to watch them at home.

This is a comforting thought. Companies like Netflix have challenged theatrical releases as the default model, with ᴅᴇᴀᴅline reporting CEO Ted Sarandos calling it “an outmoded idea, for most people.” From that outlook, the path seems to be for entertainment to become increasingly watched at home.

These Gen Alpha statistics challenge this, making it clear that there is still a desire for the theatrical experience, at least with the youngest generation. Notably, results also found that premium formats, including 3D screenings, were vastly preferred by this audience as well. All of this speaks to the importance of spectacle and eventizing that is more common in theaters.

Notably, however, Gen Alpha is not paying to go to the movies. These children will generally be taken by their parents, and therefore, the prohibitively increasing costs of admission and concessions are not a factor in their responses. This contrast speaks to the important factor of inflation’s effect on the theatrical model.

Gen Alpha’s Interests Reflect 2025’s Biggest Box Office Hits

A Minecraft Movie is among the biggest hits of the year and is the perfect example of what appealing to a Gen Alpha audience can do for the bottom line. The colorful film was family-friendly, with a unique brand of humor, and capitalized on the popularity of one of the biggest video games in recent memory.

The box office milestones for A Minecraft Movie show how effective appealing to a younger generation can be. In addition, the popularity of the viral Chicken Jockey screenings speaks to the efficacy of eventizing film screenings, even among younger audiences, exposing a harsh box office reality.

Minecraft had great crossover appeal with other generations, especially Gen Z, but much of the box office came from catering specifically to this new, younger audience. The same could be said for this year’s biggest Hollywood hit, Lilo & Sтιтch, which increased its crossover appeal all the way to the Millennials who grew up with the original animated film.

These family movies have been the biggest Hollywood movies of the year. Lilo & Sтιтch made $1.03 billion, while Minecraft earned an impressive $957 million. Other films that targeted these same audiences have also performed well, including the How to Train Your Dragon remake, which earned a franchise-best $630 million.

Hollywood Needs To Prioritize More Movies For Gen Alpha

Crafting entertainment that is specifically for Gen Alpha is a little more difficult. Generation X and Millennials were drawn to the cinemas with reimaginings of their favorite childhood shows, toys, and comics, which resulted in box office successes like Transformers and the Marvel Cinematic Universe. This will be harder to replicate with Gen Alpha.

Media consumption has changed, and Gen Alpha has fewer ties to television programs like these. The younger generation spends much more time on social media, watching TikToks and other less adaptable content. However, like Gen Z, Gen Alpha is interested in video games, which seems to be the next big frontier for cinematic adaptation.

Gen Z came out for Five Nights at Freddy’s, and both generations attended the box office hit The Super Mario Bros. Movie. The video game Roblox is huge with young audiences, and could become a cinematic franchise. Video game movies could get even bigger, but their success will depend on Gen Alpha’s continued desire to attend the theatre.

With that said, it is important that studios not try to put all their eggs in one basket. Gen Alpha is not singular, and there are many members of that generation who are not as interested in video games or their adaptations.

Therefore, appealing to fast-paced contemporary sensibilities that have developed on YouTube and TikTok is also an important focus. These stylistic choices can feature in original content developed for these audiences. Gen Alpha was a major factor in the success of KPop Demon Hunters, as a recent example of what this looks like.

Gen Alpha is an important new audience, and Hollywood must look to produce films that they will enjoy to keep them coming back to the cinema. It is exciting that the generation has been getting their parents to support the industry with A Minecraft Movie, but Hollywood needs to ensure that support will continue.