Cinema chains in Australia:Which are most popular?

Name: Cinema chains in Australia: Which are searched most?
Creator: Brandwave
License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

In September 2026, Hoyts was the most searched cinema chain in Australia, accounting for 35.4% of all searches among the five chains we track. When we checked with ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews, Hoyts showed up in every answer. Hoyts was recommended most often, coming first in one out of three responses that gave a list.

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Top cinema chains in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews

In Brandwave's three ChatGPT questions and two Google AI Overviews, Hoyts appeared every time. Hoyts was recommended most often, coming first in one out of three answers that gave a list. Event Cinemas was second, and Reading Cinemas was third.

Most recommended by AI

Brands get a higher ranking if they are mentioned earlier in the answers.

Mentioned by AI

Each dot is one answer, filled in when that answer mentions the brand.

How many AI answers named each brand
Brand	ChatGPT	Google	Answers that named it
Hoyts	Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answers	Named in 2 of 2 Google AI Overviews	5 of 5
Event Cinemas	Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answers	Named in 1 of 2 Google AI Overviews	3 of 5
Reading Cinemas	Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answers	Named in 0 of 2 Google AI Overviews	3 of 5
Village Cinemas	Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answers	Named in 1 of 2 Google AI Overviews	2 of 5
Palace Cinemas	Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answers	Named in 0 of 2 Google AI Overviews	2 of 5

Hoyts5 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
Event Cinemas3 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
Reading Cinemas3 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
Village Cinemas2 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
Palace Cinemas2 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers

See every answer about cinema chains

5 answers

Asked ChatGPT
“Which cinema chain should I go to in Australia?”
Asked ChatGPT
“What are the best cinema chains in Australia?”
Asked ChatGPT
“What's the cheapest cinema chain in Australia?”
1. 1Reading Cinemas
2. 2Hoyts
Searched Google, AI Overview
“cinema”
1. 1Hoyts
Searched Google, AI Overview
“movies near me”

Brands are shown in the order each answer named them. The survey took place in Australia on October 22, 2026.

Which cinema chains do people search for most?

This chart shows how often people search Google for each cinema chain by name. Each line represents a brand's share of searches for all five cinema chains we track, month by month, from searches in Australia.

Share of searches among cinema chains in Australia, by month

Month	Hoyts	Event Cinemas	Village Cinemas	Reading Cinemas	Palace Cinemas
Oct 2025	36.7%	24.5%	16.4%	16.4%	6%
Nov 2025	34.9%	23.4%	19.1%	15.6%	7%
Dec 2025	38.2%	25.6%	17.1%	14%	5.1%
Jan 2026	34.9%	23.4%	19.1%	15.6%	7%
Feb 2026	34.4%	23%	18.8%	15.4%	8.4%
Mar 2026	39.6%	21.7%	17.7%	14.5%	6.5%
Apr 2026	39.6%	21.7%	17.7%	14.5%	6.5%
May 2026	38.4%	21%	17.2%	17.2%	6.3%
Jun 2026	39.6%	21.7%	17.7%	14.5%	6.5%
Jul 2026	37.8%	25.3%	16.9%	13.8%	6.2%
Aug 2026	34.9%	23.4%	19.1%	15.6%	7%
Sep 2026	35.4%	23.7%	19.4%	15.8%	5.8%

Rank	Brand	Share of searches	Estimated monthly branded searches	vs prior month	Share change
1, held 1st	Hoyts	35.4%	550K	-18.3%	+0.4 points
2, held 2nd	Event Cinemas	23.7%	368K	-18.2%	+0.3 points
3, held 3rd	Village Cinemas	19.4%	301K	-18.2%	+0.3 points
4, held 4th	Reading Cinemas	15.8%	246K	-18.3%	+0.2 points
5, held 5th	Palace Cinemas	5.8%	90.5K	-33%	-1.2 points

1.Hoyts
35.4%
Held 1st. 550K estimated branded searches, -18.3% vs prior month. Share +0.4 points.
2.Event Cinemas
23.7%
Held 2nd. 368K estimated branded searches, -18.2% vs prior month. Share +0.3 points.
3.Village Cinemas
19.4%
Held 3rd. 301K estimated branded searches, -18.2% vs prior month. Share +0.3 points.
4.Reading Cinemas
15.8%
Held 4th. 246K estimated branded searches, -18.3% vs prior month. Share +0.2 points.
5.Palace Cinemas
5.8%
Held 5th. 90.5K estimated branded searches, -33% vs prior month. Share -1.2 points.

Which brand is most popular in search among cinema chains in Australia?

5 brands

In September 2026, Hoyts was the most searched among cinema chains in Australia, with an estimated 550K branded searches, 35.4% of all searches for the five we track. Event Cinemas is in 2nd place, 11.7 percentage points behind at 23.7%.

Australia cinema chains, last 12 months ending September 2026
Brand	Share of searches	Peak	Low	Rank
Hoyts	36.7% → 35.4%	39.6%Mar 2026	34.4%Feb 2026	1st
Event Cinemas	24.5% → 23.7%	25.6%Dec 2025	21%May 2026	2nd
Village Cinemas	16.4% → 19.4%	19.4%Sep 2026	16.4%Oct 2025	4th → 3rd
Reading Cinemas	16.4% → 15.8%	17.2%May 2026	13.8%Jul 2026	3rd → 4th
Palace Cinemas	6% → 5.8%	8.4%Feb 2026	5.1%Dec 2025	5th

Each finding as a sentence

Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Hoyts’ share of searches among cinema chains in Australia decreased from 36.7% to 35.4%.
Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Event Cinemas’ share of searches among cinema chains in Australia decreased from 24.5% to 23.7%.
Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Village Cinemas’ share of searches among cinema chains in Australia increased from 16.4% to 19.4%.
Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Reading Cinemas’ share of searches among cinema chains in Australia decreased from 16.4% to 15.8%.
Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Hoyts’ share of searches among cinema chains in Australia peaked at 39.6% in March 2026 and was lowest at 34.4% in February 2026.
Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Event Cinemas’ share of searches among cinema chains in Australia peaked at 25.6% in December 2025 and was lowest at 21% in May 2026.
Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Reading Cinemas’ share of searches among cinema chains in Australia peaked at 17.2% in May 2026 and was lowest at 13.8% in July 2026.
Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Palace Cinemas’ share of searches among cinema chains in Australia peaked at 8.4% in February 2026 and was lowest at 5.1% in December 2025.
Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Village Cinemas rose from 4th to 3rd among cinema chains in Australia.
Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Reading Cinemas fell from 3rd to 4th among cinema chains in Australia.
Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Palace Cinemas held steady: its share of searches among cinema chains in Australia moved less than 0.5 percentage points.

How did search popularity change for Australia cinema chains in September 2026?

2 changes

In September 2026, Palace Cinemas lost share of searches among cinema chains in Australia, from 7% to 5.8%.
Estimated monthly branded searches for Village Cinemas in Australia rose 22.4% over 12 measured months, from 246K to 301K in September 2026.

How are branded searches counted for cinema chains?

5 search terms

Each brand's share of searches among cinema chains comes from the terms listed under its name. When people mostly search for a brand because of something else it sells, only the searches that name this product count here.