Brandwave

Cinemas in New Zealand:Which brands are most popular in search?

In August 2026, Hoyts was the most searched among cinemas in New Zealand, with an estimated 274K branded searches and 36.8% estimated Share of Search within this set.

Share of Search, August 2026
  1. Hoyts36.8%
  2. Event Cinemas27.1%
  3. Silky Otter14.8%
  4. Reading Cinemas14.3%
  5. Lido Cinema3.1%
  6. Academy Cinemas2.6%
  7. Lighthouse Cinema1.4%
  8. The Embassy Theatre0.04%

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Share of SearchLeaderboard

Compare the cinema chains and independent cinemas New Zealanders book movie tickets with. Branded searches tell you how often people look for a brand by name or related terms. Comparing these searches across competitors helps you see how popular each brand is over time.

Share of Search among cinemas in New Zealand, by month

Share of Search by month for Hoyts, Event Cinemas, Silky Otter, Reading Cinemas, Lido Cinema, Academy Cinemas. The figures are in the table below the chart.

View monthly share of search table
MonthHoytsEvent CinemasSilky OtterReading CinemasLido CinemaAcademy CinemasLighthouse CinemaThe Embassy Theatre
Oct 202535.2%24.8%18.7%12.9%4%2.6%1.7%0.03%
Nov 202538%24.4%17.3%12.9%3.1%2.6%1.7%0.03%
Dec 202540.2%25.3%15.5%13.1%2.8%1.7%1.4%0.02%
Jan 202638.2%21.6%18.9%13.5%4.1%2.2%1.4%0.03%
Feb 202636%22.3%19.5%13.6%4.1%2.7%1.8%0.03%
Mar 202638.5%24.3%17.1%11.9%3.9%2.8%1.5%0.05%
Apr 202637.2%25.8%16%13.4%3.4%2.7%1.5%0.05%
May 202635.8%24.1%17.4%15.1%3.7%2.5%1.3%0.04%
Jun 202636.1%25.5%17.1%13.4%3.3%3.3%1.2%0.04%
Jul 202637.3%26.9%15.3%14.6%2.7%2.2%0.98%0.06%
Aug 202636.8%27.1%14.8%14.3%3.1%2.6%1.4%0.04%
Sep 2026————————

This month’s ranking, August 2026

  1. 1.Hoyts

    36.8%

    held 1st · 274K estimated branded searches · -15.6% vs prior month · -0.5 points

  2. 2.Event Cinemas

    27.1%

    held 2nd · 202K estimated branded searches · -13.8% vs prior month · +0.2 points

  3. 3.Silky Otter

    14.8%

    held 3rd · 111K estimated branded searches · -16.9% vs prior month · -0.5 points

  4. 4.Reading Cinemas

    14.3%

    held 4th · 106K estimated branded searches · -16.5% vs prior month · -0.4 points

  5. 5.Lido Cinema

    3.1%

    held 5th · 23.2K estimated branded searches · -0.68% vs prior month · +0.4 points

  6. 6.Academy Cinemas

    2.6%

    held 6th · 19.1K estimated branded searches · -1.5% vs prior month · +0.3 points

  7. 7.Lighthouse Cinema

    1.4%

    held 7th · 10.2K estimated branded searches · +20.1% vs prior month · +0.4 points

  8. 8.The Embassy Theatre

    0.04%

    held 8th · 330 estimated branded searches · -31.3% vs prior month · 0 points

Compare search popularity between leading brands

Which brand is most popular in search among cinemas in New Zealand?

In August 2026, Hoyts was the most searched among cinemas in New Zealand, with an estimated 274K branded searches and 36.8% estimated Share of Search within this set. Event Cinemas is in 2nd place, 9.7 percentage points behind at 27.1% Share of Search.

New Zealand cinemas, last 12 months ending September 2026
BrandShare of SearchPeakLowRank
Hoyts35.2% → 36.8%40.2%Dec 202535.2%Oct 20251st
Event Cinemas24.8% → 27.1%27.1%Aug 202621.6%Jan 20262nd
Silky Otter18.7% → 14.8%19.5%Feb 202614.8%Aug 20263rd
Reading Cinemas12.9% → 14.3%15.1%May 202611.9%Mar 20264th
Lido Cinema4% → 3.1%4.1%Jan 20262.7%Jul 20265th
Academy Cinemas2.6%3.3%Jun 20261.7%Dec 20256th
Lighthouse Cinema1.7% → 1.4%1.8%Feb 20260.98%Jul 20267th
The Embassy Theatre0.03% → 0.04%0.06%Jul 20260.02%Dec 20258th

Each finding as a sentence

  • Across the 11 months ending August 2026, Hoyts’ estimated Share of Search among cinemas in New Zealand increased from 35.2% to 36.8%.
  • Across the 11 months ending August 2026, Event Cinemas’ estimated Share of Search among cinemas in New Zealand increased from 24.8% to 27.1%.
  • Across the 11 months ending August 2026, Silky Otter’s estimated Share of Search among cinemas in New Zealand decreased from 18.7% to 14.8%.
  • Across the 11 months ending August 2026, Reading Cinemas’ estimated Share of Search among cinemas in New Zealand increased from 12.9% to 14.3%.
  • Across the 11 months ending August 2026, Lido Cinema’s estimated Share of Search among cinemas in New Zealand decreased from 4% to 3.1%.
  • Across the 11 months ending August 2026, Hoyts’ estimated Share of Search among cinemas in New Zealand peaked at 40.2% in December 2025 and was lowest at 35.2% in October 2025.
  • Across the 11 months ending August 2026, Event Cinemas’ estimated Share of Search among cinemas in New Zealand peaked at 27.1% in August 2026 and was lowest at 21.6% in January 2026.
  • Across the 11 months ending August 2026, Silky Otter’s estimated Share of Search among cinemas in New Zealand peaked at 19.5% in February 2026 and was lowest at 14.8% in August 2026.
  • Across the 11 months ending August 2026, Reading Cinemas’ estimated Share of Search among cinemas in New Zealand peaked at 15.1% in May 2026 and was lowest at 11.9% in March 2026.
  • Across the 11 months ending August 2026, Lido Cinema’s estimated Share of Search among cinemas in New Zealand peaked at 4.1% in January 2026 and was lowest at 2.7% in July 2026.
  • Across the 11 months ending August 2026, Academy Cinemas’ estimated Share of Search among cinemas in New Zealand peaked at 3.3% in June 2026 and was lowest at 1.7% in December 2025.
  • Across the 11 months ending August 2026, Academy Cinemas, Lighthouse Cinema and The Embassy Theatre held steady: their estimated Share of Search among cinemas in New Zealand each moved less than 0.5 percentage points.

How did search popularity change for New Zealand cinemas in August 2026?

  1. In August 2026, Hoyts lost estimated Share of Search among cinemas in New Zealand, from 37.3% to 36.8%.

  2. Event Cinemas’ estimated Share of Search among cinemas in New Zealand has gained ground for 3 months in a row, from 24.1% to 27.1% in August 2026.

  3. Silky Otter’s estimated Share of Search among cinemas in New Zealand has lost ground for 3 months in a row, from 17.4% to 14.8% in August 2026.

  4. Estimated monthly branded searches for The Embassy Theatre in New Zealand rose 94.1% over 11 measured months, from 170 to 330 in August 2026.

  5. Estimated monthly branded searches for Reading Cinemas in New Zealand rose 65.9% over 11 measured months, from 64.1K to 106K in August 2026.

  6. Estimated monthly branded searches for Academy Cinemas in New Zealand rose 49% over 11 measured months, from 12.8K to 19.1K in August 2026.

  7. Estimated monthly branded searches for Lighthouse Cinema in New Zealand rose 19.4% over 11 measured months, from 8.6K to 10.2K in August 2026.

  8. Estimated monthly branded searches for Lido Cinema in New Zealand rose 16% over 11 measured months, from 20K to 23.2K in August 2026.

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