Could TikTok save cinema? Users are being encouraged to go to the movies, new study finds

TikTok has been effective in enticing people to watch movies at the cinema, according to a new study.

Given that movies and TV are the fourth most viewed content category on the app that has 170 million US users, people are being influenced by the discourse on the subject.

Users on the popular video platform were surveyed on this topic and researchers found that people who use TikTok are 44 per cent more likely to go to the cinema at least once a month, compared to non-TikTok users, as per The Hollywood Reporter.

Out of the 44 per cent who attended, 33 per cent said that TikTok was the reason they went to watch a new movie in theatres, while 47 per cent said they learned about a new movie through TikTok.

Additionally, when participants discovered a new movie on the platform, 42 per cent said that they looked up showtimes and 36 per cent said that they purchased a ticket.

The recent release of the Universal action thriller Twisters is one example of the TikTok marketing impact, with actors Daisy Edgar-Jones, Glen Powell and Anthony Ramos going viral by participating in the Charli XCX 'Apple' dance and discussing "brat summer" during a press interview.

The movie's TikTok account also proved popular with over 281,000 followers and 8.3m likes, while cinemagoers were also posting content about their cinema experience at 4D screenings of the film.

Meanwhile, the study concluded that ads which utilise viral trends are 1.5 times more likely to “hook a user,” as 39 per cent of TikTok users said this influenced them to go to a screening.

"I think fans when they feel like it’s authentic and they feel like it’s something that is relevant to them, that is always going to convert and, for us, get people to go see a movie in a theatre,” said Katie Hawkins, VP of digital marketing, Universal Pictures, as perThe Hollywood Reporter.

With Twisters achieving a record domestic opening weekend of $80.5 million, no doubt we'll be seeing more actors and film promotions on our For You page in the future.

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