All hail the PG-rated movie \u2014 and moviegoing kids. <\/p>\n
Hollywood owes a thank you to Gen Alpha (kids 12 and younger) for becoming the most dependable group of moviegoers in America, and fueling a PG movie box-office boost. <\/p>\n
For decades<\/a>, PG-13-rated films reliably generated the highest box-office earnings. Blockbuster franchises like \u201cStar Wars,\u201d \u201cAvengers,\u201d \u201cHarry Potter,\u201d \u201cAvatar\u201d and \u201cTransformers\u201d consistently drew massive audiences to theaters \u2014 but shifting moviegoing trends are increasingly favoring PG films over adult-oriented franchises. <\/p>\n This year\u2019s \u201cZootopia 2,\u201d \u201cLilo & Stitch\u201d and \u201cA Minecraft Movie\u201d made the biggest bucks globally in 2025. All three are rated PG. <\/p>\n And for the second consecutive year, PG-rated movies outperformed PG-13 movies at the box office. Domestically, PG movies generated $2.87 billion, compared to PG-13 movies, which earned $2.77 billion, per Comscore<\/a>. <\/p>\n After a record-breaking debut of $313.7 million in worldwide earnings, \u201cA Minecraft Movie\u201d made $958 million<\/a> worldwide and during its theatrical run and $423 million domestically, making it the highest-earning film at the domestic box office this year. <\/p>\n Live-action remakes like \u201cLilo & Stitch\u201d earned over $1 billion<\/a> worldwide and \u201cHow To Train Your Dragon\u201d made $636 million<\/a>. Family-friendly sequels were also high earners, as \u201cWicked: For Good\u201d has earned $503 million<\/a> and \u201cZootopia 2\u2033 has raked in more than $1.4 billion<\/a>. <\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s a stigma that PG is just for kids, but they appeal to everyone,\u201d senior Comscore analyst Paul Dergarabedian told Variety<\/a>. \u201cIt\u2019s like comfort food. People know they won\u2019t be bombarded with too much violence or language. It\u2019s wholesome. There\u2019s no shame in going to a PG movie if it\u2019s good.\u201d <\/p>\n The rising tide in PG movies \u2014 which has provided theaters with a desperately-needed boost \u2014 has been driven by young moviegoers, who drag their parents and other chaperones with them to kid-friendly showings. <\/p>\n A recent report<\/a> from the National Report Group credits Gen Alpha, which consists of kids born between 2013 and 2025, with resuscitating the entertainment business after a decade plagued by the rapid spread of streaming platforms, the COVID-19 pandemic and the 2023 Hollywood strikes. <\/p>\n \u201cKids and preteens,\u201d the report concluded, \u201chave been the driving force behind many of the biggest theatrical success stories of the past three years.\u201d <\/p>\n Gen Alpha, the report<\/a> found, is the group most interested in the experience of seeing movies on the big screen. Roughly 59% of that generation prefers watching a movie in theaters to watching a movie at home, compared to 48% of Gen Z, 45% of millennials and 46% of Gen X. <\/p>\n The majority of young audiences still view moviegoing as a novel experience, the reported noted. Unlike older generations, these kids grew up with on-demand movies via streaming, so they associate little excitement with an at-home movie night. For them, the real treat is leaving the house to experience a movie in theaters. <\/p>\n It is mostly about the social experience for these young viewers \u2014 the biggest driver in young audiences\u2019 moviegoing is a social experience. In contrast, older audiences are motivated to see movies in theaters for its technical experience, such as sound or picture quality. <\/p>\n These young moviegoers are seeking opportunities for \u201cparticipatory fandom,\u201d or frenzied trends that come with PG releases, such as the viral \u201cchicken jockey<\/a>\u201d trend that emerged out of \u201cA Minecraft Movie,\u201d sing-along<\/a> releases of \u201cWicked,\u201d dressing up as Gentleminions<\/a> for the \u201cMinions\u201d movies and other rowdy fads older audiences don\u2019t understand. <\/p>\n \u201cFortunately for studios and for theaters, moviegoing still holds tremendous value for Gen Alpha. They see it as a chance to spend time with friends and family, to mark an occasion, and to take part in something bigger than themselves,\u201d writes the report. \u201cFor Gen Alpha, moviegoing is a deeply social experience.\u201d <\/p>\n Superhero and blockbuster franchises on the fritz<\/p>\n Much of the PG movie comeback is not just about kid-friendly films performing better, but about PG-13 movies and franchises performing worse. <\/p>\n Comic book content is no longer a sure thing at the box office. Neither is a star-studded cast. There are still high performing PG-13 franchises, like 2025\u2019s \u201cSuperman,\u201d \u201cJurassic World: Rebirth\u201d and the recent release of \u201cAvatar: Fire and Ash,\u201d but earnings for a slew PG-13 movies sagged far below expectations in 2025. <\/p>\n Marvel superhero movies like \u201cCaptain America: Brave New World\u201d and \u201cThunderbolts\u201d \u2014 which reliably made billions<\/a> in previous years \u2014 struggled to match previous success. <\/p>\n Other adult blockbuster franchises also flopped. \u201cMission: Impossible \u2014 The Final Reckoning,” the eighth installment in the action franchise helmed by Tom Cruise, earned $172 million domestically, performing worse than six of the franchise\u2019s previous films. <\/p>\n Domestic box office revenue for October 2025 hit its lowest point in three decades (excluding 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic) with collective earnings at $425 million<\/a> \u2014 and no major kid-friendly titles were released in October. Titles anticipated to rake in big earnings at the box office, like \u201cTron: Ares\u201d and \u201cThe Smashing Machine,\u201d slumped far below expectations. <\/p>\n