Yes, TikTok is actually getting people to movie theaters

Hollywood has increasingly been looking to digital platforms and online fandoms to fill theaters, with TikTok’s new Spotlight tool nudging users toward buying movie tickets and streaming subscriptions, and Roblox‘s Warner Bros. x Fandango partnership aiming to get butts in seats to see Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice.

Apparently all this is paying off: TikTok says its users are 44% more likely to go see a movie at least once per month than people who don’t use its platform.

That data comes from a user survey conducted by TikTok. 33% of respondents said TikTok has been the reason they went to see a new movie in theaters, while 47% said they learned about a new movie through TikTok. Of those 47% who learned about a movie, 42% said they went on to look up local showtimes for that movie, and 36% said they actually bought a ticket. (We’re betting Spotlight, which directly links to ticket-buying platforms, is helping drive those numbers.)

All this ticket-buying is good for the box office and good for Hollywood. As for TikTok? It gets ad dollars from studios.

“I think entertainment clients that really lean into the platform and are able to show not just the uniqueness of their talent, but the uniqueness of their IP and really taking us behind the scenes of what happens in a lot of their movies and the production phases, it really drives affinity and resonance for the entertainment users on our community to want to go and consume that content in real time,” Edvin Dapcevic, TikTok’s Head of Industry, Entertainment, told The Hollywood Reporter.

TikTok says movies can also be made as a box office hit or cult classic if they’re able to spark or take part in a viral trend: 39% of survey respondents saying viral trends and/or challenges made them decide to go see a film. (See morbin’ time and Barbenheimer for especially prime examples.)

It also pointed out that studios being willing to work with creators–it specifically mentioned Sony tapping Khaby Lame to promote Bad Boys: Ride or Die–is a great way to hook online audiences. (Also worth noting: Hollywood isn’t just working with creators to promote movies; it wants movies from them, too.)

In this COVID era where theatergoing is flagging, it’s clear Hollywood is embracing new paths to get people to see movies–and it’s also clear TikTok wants to capitalize on its place in this changing industry.