May movie releases: Which title is most likely to draw a crowd to the theater?

Hollywood’s hopes are high for a breakout summer, with several huge blockbusters lined up to attract consumers back to theaters.

The summer movie lineup begins with Top Gun: Maverick. The widely anticipated and long delayed sequel to the 1986 phenomenon, is set for a wide theatrical release on May 27 and marks one of a few non-Marvel tentpole releases this summer.

Recent YouGov Direct polling shows 24% of respondents who were presented with the Top Gun: Maverick movie trailer would prefer to see the movie in theaters, making it the biggest theatrical draw of the three major releases tested by YouGov this month. Our data shows 21% tell us they’d prefer to wait several months to see the movie via a streaming service.

Doctor Strange in the Multiverse Madness, Marvel’s first gambit of the summer season, is set to debut in theaters May 4. YouGov Direct data shows 21% of respondents would prefer to see the movie in theaters, while roughly the same proportion, 22%, would prefer to wait and watch it via a streaming service.

The Bob’s Burgers Movie, to be released May 27 in theaters, isn’t likely to draw the same crowds as the Marvel offering of Doctor Strange or the legacy sequel of Top Gun, but a respectable 10% of respondents tell us they’re keen to see the movie spin-off of the hit animated TV show in theaters. Another 8% say they’ll wait for it to hit the streaming services.

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Methodology: For each film referenced, YouGov polled 400 US adults online on April 21, 2022 who watched the trailer for each film. The survey was carried out through YouGov Direct. Overall data is weighted by age, gender, education level, political affiliation, and ethnicity. Learn more about YouGov Direct.