Casual moviegoing, when people show up to the theater on a whim and watch whatever is available, has been decreasing, particularly since the COVID-19 pandemic, reported The Los Angeles Times on Monday, noting that it cuts into the potential profit margins for theaters, which are still struggling to bring in crowds.

"They are the largest potential pool of audience. You need that flow of movies coming through the system, reaching people's awareness," said the report. However, the reality is that "not only are there not enough movies bringing people in, but they're often not in theaters long enough for people to discover them."

Casual moviegoers are an important part of the market. Frequent moviegoers, those who regularly and reliably show up to watch all kinds of movies, make up about 12 pct to 15 pct of the box office. That leaves a lot of room for those casually stopping by.

And the box office still has not recovered from the effects of the pandemic. Before COVID-19, the domestic box office regularly generated more than 10 billion U.S. dollars in yearly ticket sales. This year, it's expected to do about 8.5 billion dollars, according to the report.

Having a variety of genres at the box office can pull in a wider audience, according to the report. Midtier movies, those bringing in box-office totals of 50 million to 100 million dollars, have been scarcer these days. "Genre-wise, dramas and romantic comedies are now harder to catch on the big screen," it added. 

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