Americans love movies. That’s a blunt statement but it’s true. Movies are part of American culture, whether the ones shown in the art houses of New York or Los Angeles or the summer blockbusters shown in theaters across the country.
Nominees for the 94th Academy Awards were recently announced and the Awards ceremony will take place on Sunday, March 27. (These are the movies that won the most Oscars every year since 1976.)
Getting into the Oscars mood, 24/7 Tempo has ranked the 50 best U.S. cities for movie lovers, including those who stream movies at home. We reviewed the results of a report on the subject from Lawn Love, a lawn care resource site, which frequently analyzes data around various lifestyle topics. Lawn Love evaluated the accessibility (including the number of screens per 100,000 residents), quality, affordability, and community.
It turns out New York is the best city in the country for movie lovers. It has lots of screens, ranging from art houses to multiplexes, good broadband availability, and a very high community score. It’s home to numerous film societies and festivals, including the New York Film Festival, the Independent Film Festival, the Tribeca Film Festival, and many others. (These are America’s cultural capitals.)
The top six cities after New York are all in California: San Francisco, Los Angeles, Torrance, Ontario, Riverside, and Pasadena. That may not come as a surprise as California is home to Hollywood and to many famous actors and directors, and movie making is an important part of the state’s economy.
Click here to see the best US cities for movie-lovers in 2022
Click here to read our detailed methodology
50. Jersey City, NJ
> Overall score: 31.19
> Access rank: 165
> Quality rank: 20
> Affordability rank: 112
> Community rank: 29
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49. Rochester, NY
> Overall score: 31.35
> Access rank: 9
> Quality rank: 119
> Affordability rank: 182
> Community rank: 64
48. Orlando, FL
> Overall score: 31.52
> Access rank: 22
> Quality rank: 148
> Affordability rank: 90
> Community rank: 62
47. Indianapolis, IN
> Overall score: 31.66
> Access rank: 79
> Quality rank: 18
> Affordability rank: 132
> Community rank: 56
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46. Rancho Cucamonga, CA
> Overall score: 31.71
> Access rank: 179
> Quality rank: 5
> Affordability rank: 73
> Community rank: 27
45. Frisco, TX
> Overall score: 31.77
> Access rank: 57
> Quality rank: 51
> Affordability rank: 5
> Community rank: 134
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44. Cincinnati, OH
> Overall score: 31.83
> Access rank: 24
> Quality rank: 34
> Affordability rank: 159
> Community rank: 106
43. Charlotte, NC
> Overall score: 31.96
> Access rank: 85
> Quality rank: 137
> Affordability rank: 21
> Community rank: 42
42. Dallas, TX
> Overall score: 32.12
> Access rank: 97
> Quality rank: 14
> Affordability rank: 62
> Community rank: 58
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41. Plano, TX
> Overall score: 32.18
> Access rank: 80
> Quality rank: 12
> Affordability rank: 12
> Community rank: 116
40. Honolulu, HI
> Overall score: 32.26
> Access rank: 50
> Quality rank: 9
> Affordability rank: 71
> Community rank: 148
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39. Alexandria, VA
> Overall score: 32.72
> Access rank: 60
> Quality rank: 140
> Affordability rank: 13
> Community rank: 47
38. Tampa, FL
> Overall score: 32.95
> Access rank: 18
> Quality rank: 67
> Affordability rank: 93
> Community rank: 88
37. Winston-Salem, NC
> Overall score: 33.17
> Access rank: 51
> Quality rank: 13
> Affordability rank: 42
> Community rank: 92
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36. Irvine, CA
> Overall score: 33.37
> Access rank: 110
> Quality rank: 128
> Affordability rank: 23
> Community rank: 19
35. Anaheim, CA
> Overall score: 33.42
> Access rank: 138
> Quality rank: 66
> Affordability rank: 117
> Community rank: 10
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34. Chicago, IL
> Overall score: 33.99
> Access rank: 103
> Quality rank: 141
> Affordability rank: 128
> Community rank: 7
33. Cary, NC
> Overall score: 34
> Access rank: 59
> Quality rank: 7
> Affordability rank: 6
> Community rank: 122
32. Salt Lake City, UT
> Overall score: 34.09
> Access rank: 20
> Quality rank: 39
> Affordability rank: 52
> Community rank: 107
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31. Long Beach, CA
> Overall score: 34.92
> Access rank: 143
> Quality rank: 27
> Affordability rank: 136
> Community rank: 9
30. Glendale, CA
> Overall score: 35.11
> Access rank: 21
> Quality rank: 149
> Affordability rank: 148
> Community rank: 28
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29. Pittsburgh, PA
> Overall score: 35.26
> Access rank: 47
> Quality rank: 17
> Affordability rank: 118
> Community rank: 49
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28. Arlington, VA
> Overall score: 35.42
> Access rank: 74
> Quality rank: 79
> Affordability rank: 3
> Community rank: 43
27. Providence, RI
> Overall score: 35.45
> Access rank: 19
> Quality rank: 22
> Affordability rank: 156
> Community rank: 55
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26. Richmond, VA
> Overall score: 35.62
> Access rank: 13
> Quality rank: 87
> Affordability rank: 110
> Community rank: 51
25. Overland Park, KS
> Overall score: 35.72
> Access rank: 31
> Quality rank: 4
> Affordability rank: 15
> Community rank: 99
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24. Vancouver, WA
> Overall score: 35.86
> Access rank: 8
> Quality rank: 35
> Affordability rank: 86
> Community rank: 128
23. Huntington Beach, CA
> Overall score: 36.59
> Access rank: 111
> Quality rank: 10
> Affordability rank: 41
> Community rank: 20
22. Atlanta, GA
> Overall score: 36.73
> Access rank: 54
> Quality rank: 96
> Affordability rank: 72
> Community rank: 14
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21. Knoxville, TN
> Overall score: 36.85
> Access rank: 3
> Quality rank: 43
> Affordability rank: 151
> Community rank: 130
20. Miami, FL
> Overall score: 37.16
> Access rank: 5
> Quality rank: 139
> Affordability rank: 173
> Community rank: 39
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19. Washington, D.C.
> Overall score: 37.53
> Access rank: 68
> Quality rank: 64
> Affordability rank: 24
> Community rank: 16
18. Seattle, WA
> Overall score: 37.76
> Access rank: 43
> Quality rank: 37
> Affordability rank: 35
> Community rank: 31
17. Austin, TX
> Overall score: 38.44
> Access rank: 30
> Quality rank: 81
> Affordability rank: 19
> Community rank: 26
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16. Garden Grove, CA
> Overall score: 38.49
> Access rank: 32
> Quality rank: 23
> Affordability rank: 134
> Community rank: 22
15. Fort Lauderdale, FL
> Overall score: 38.49
> Access rank: 2
> Quality rank: 130
> Affordability rank: 43
> Community rank: 60
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14. Minneapolis, MN
> Overall score: 38.53
> Access rank: 6
> Quality rank: 30
> Affordability rank: 28
> Community rank: 76
13. Buffalo, NY
> Overall score: 38.91
> Access rank: 4
> Quality rank: 135
> Affordability rank: 176
> Community rank: 33
12. Fullerton, CA
> Overall score: 39.48
> Access rank: 58
> Quality rank: 46
> Affordability rank: 80
> Community rank: 8
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11. Santa Ana, CA
> Overall score: 40.05
> Access rank: 16
> Quality rank: 47
> Affordability rank: 150
> Community rank: 12
10. Corona, CA
> Overall score: 40.16
> Access rank: 44
> Quality rank: 57
> Affordability rank: 88
> Community rank: 6
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9. Orange, CA
> Overall score: 40.37
> Access rank: 11
> Quality rank: 116
> Affordability rank: 49
> Community rank: 13
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8. Portland, OR
> Overall score: 40.43
> Access rank: 15
> Quality rank: 26
> Affordability rank: 38
> Community rank: 38
7. Pasadena, CA
> Overall score: 40.68
> Access rank: 10
> Quality rank: 102
> Affordability rank: 83
> Community rank: 17
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6. Riverside, CA
> Overall score: 41.34
> Access rank: 17
> Quality rank: 131
> Affordability rank: 140
> Community rank: 4
5. Ontario, CA
> Overall score: 41.98
> Access rank: 12
> Quality rank: 6
> Affordability rank: 166
> Community rank: 15
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4. Torrance, CA
> Overall score: 42.14
> Access rank: 7
> Quality rank: 108
> Affordability rank: 85
> Community rank: 11
3. Los Angeles, CA
> Overall score: 52.07
> Access rank: 127
> Quality rank: 117
> Affordability rank: 139
> Community rank: 2
2. San Francisco, CA
> Overall score: 57.51
> Access rank: 1
> Quality rank: 28
> Affordability rank: 18
> Community rank: 3
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1. New York, NY
> Overall score: 60.78
> Access rank: 35
> Quality rank: 92
> Affordability rank: 121
> Community rank: 1
Methodology
To determine the 50 best US cities for movie-lovers – including those who stream films at home as well as those who patronize theaters – in 2022, 24/7 Tempo reviewed the results of a report on the subject from Lawn Love, a lawn care resource site, which frequently analyzes data around various lifestyle topics.
Drawing on sources that includes AreaVibes, Art House Convergence, BroadbandNow, Cinema Treasures, Eventbrite, Everfest, Meetup, MovieMaps, Redbox, Yelp, and its own previous research, Lawn Love ranked 193 of America’s largest cities across four categories. These were accessibility (including such metrics as movie theaters per square mile and movie screens per 100,000 residents), quality (considering fiber internet availability and broadband coverage as well as consumer ratings of theaters), affordability (average movie theater price as a share of weekly median household income), and community (number of film societies, film festivals, etc.).
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