Is in-person entertainment attendance the real shift?

In the 1920s, movie theaters were the dominant entertainment medium, with the average American attending more than 40 times per year — a stark contrast to the roughly twice-per-year figure seen today ^{[1] A Acquired The Walt Disney Company — David Rosenthal "When distributor Charles Mintz stole Oswald the Lucky Rabbit from Walt Disney in 1928 — poaching nearly all his animators and leaving the s…" 35:40 Play} . Disney's early rise was deeply intertwined with this golden age of mass theater attendance, even as cartoons remained the least popular filler option among audiences ^{[1] A Acquired The Walt Disney Company — David Rosenthal "When distributor Charles Mintz stole Oswald the Lucky Rabbit from Walt Disney in 1928 — poaching nearly all his animators and leaving the s…" 35:40 Play} . A century later, analysts argue that in-person, real-world experiences are staging a cultural comeback, with U.S. consumers having increased their share of discretionary spending on experiences by 60% since 1960 ^{[2] T The Prof G Pod with Scott Galloway No Mercy / No Malice: World Cup Experience — George Hahn "The biggest trend of 2026 isn't AI chatbots — it's IRL experiences. From the World Cup to movie theaters to live concerts, people are choos…" 01:40 Play} .