A Surprising Number Of Fans Said They're Most Likely To Watch Movies On Smartphones

In this modern, almost futuristic technological age, there are more ways than ever to consume pop culture. That doesn't just go for the device that consumers prefer to use when watching movies and television shows either. In June of 2020, over 36% of viewers said they preferred watching a movie at home via streaming as opposed to watching at a movie theater (per Statista). That's more than double the 15% who gave the same answer in a 2018 study.

It's clear that the landscape for viewing film is a constantly shifting entity, especially as more and more options are made available for consumers. But perhaps no invention has allowed the ease of access quite like the smartphone. These comparatively tiny devices allow users to do pretty much anything, from watching videos to playing endless and varied mobile games. While mobile phones have existed for decades, smartphones were a technological leap forward that changed the landscape for so much in the world of technology. However, when it comes to how many viewers actually use their cellular devices for movies, the answer may be a little shocking.

According to a poll conducted by Looper, with 575 voters participating, approximately 10.61% of respondents said that they used their smartphone or tablet primarily for watching movies. This is slightly below the 10.96% of voters who preferred using their computers for viewing. It's very surprising that these two numbers are so close to each other, especially considering how many people own smartphones in the United States alone. According to a Pew Research Study in 2021, around 85% of Americans owned a smartphone of some kind.

Interestingly enough, 78.43% of voters said they still preferred watching films on their television, which makes sense given that it's perhaps the most accessible option for families to watch together. Crowding around a smartphone or computer just doesn't seem very feasible when a television is usually larger and has better speakers than either of those options. Still, one would expect smartphones to at least score higher than computers, but perhaps the small screen factor is just too much for a lot of movie aficionados.