Why Gen Z is movie-maxxing

What’s bringing Gen Z to the theaters?Backrooms and Obsession are two recent horror films that have done massive numbers – and their success has been driven, in large part, by Gen Z. Even beyond these films, Gen Z is now the largest moviegoing audience, according to a couple of recent surveys. But what’s bringing the short-form video generation to theaters? And what makes a movie… a Gen Z movie?To get into it, Brittany is joined by Sam Adams, staff writer at Slate, and Reanna Cruz, entertainment journalist and critic.(00:00) The Gen Z movie moment(03:47) Obsession vs. Backrooms(11:06) What's bringing Gen Z to movie theaters(15:04) Doomer vibes and digital worlds: what makes a movie a Gen Z movie(21:40) Will we see more Gen Z movies after Obsession and Backrooms?For more episodes about where film or Gen Z culture, check out:Gen Z is afraid of sex — and for good reasonWomen deserve revenge. Do they get to have it?Onscreen cannibalism and our hunger for loveSupport Public Media. Join NPR Plus.Follow Brittany on Instagram: @bmluseFor handpicked podcast recommendations every week, subscribe to NPR’s Pod Club newsletter at npr.org/podclub.See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.NPR Privacy Policy