Horror – it’s audience share is creeping up on you!

Horror has sneaked up on us to become one of the biggest stories in UK cinema. Pre‑pandemic, the genre accounted for around 5% of film admissions. Today it sits at about 11% — more than double its former share — and 2026 has continued that growth with strong original horror titles alongside established franchises. 

Industry data shows horror and suspense titles generated £151.2m at the UK box office in 2025, up sharply from £87.3m in 2024, confirming the genre’s growing commercial weight.   

The 2025 spike was driven by a concentrated run of high‑performing releases, including The Conjuring: Last Rites, Sinners, Final Destination: Bloodlines and Weapons, which together expanded the horror audience beyond its traditional core.  

Interestingly, horror is also scaling among a younger, 18-34 fan base; they’re seeking emotionally engaging group experiences – this creates a unique opportunity for brands (mainstream and otherwise) that want to reach younger audiences OOH and during a shared cultural moment.  

Eighty‑nine percent of Boomerang’s cinema audience report watching horror, giving brands access to a large, passionate segment within an environment that already encourages shared, high‑attention experiences. 

Horror creates suspense and emotional arousal, which makes the surrounding cinema experience — and any associated messaging — more distinctive and memorable. Research on cinema audiences indicates that the environment puts viewers in a positive mind state: less defensive and more receptive to brand communication. This heightened state can make people up to 50% more likely to welcome brand messages in that context. 

The 2026 slate underlines the depth of opportunity, with a mix of franchise entries and original concepts across the summer and autumn: from Evil Dead Burn and Insidious: Out of the Further to Resident Evil and DC Studios’ first horror title, Clayface. These releases draw a skewed ABC1, 16–44 audience — the exact demographic many brands struggle to reach in a high‑engagement, offline setting. 

“Buying horror” through Boomerang means more than placing ads around scary films. It means aligning brands with a genre that commands concentrated attention, delivers a distinctive emotional context, and attracts a growing, commercially valuable audience. For brands looking to stand out in a crowded media landscape, horror offers a clear, under‑used lever: reach young, engaged viewers at the moment they are most switched on — and most open. 

Article written by Sinmi Adepoju, Media Insights Executive.