According to the analytical report Youth of Kazakhstan for 2024, one of the most common leisure activities among young people is watching films and TV series online. Of those surveyed, 42.2% reported doing this regularly, 38.4% occasionally, and 15.2% rarely. Only 3.5% said they never spend time on this type of pastime, while another 0.8% found it difficult to answer.

When it comes to viewing films and series, 58.8% of respondents prefer using free platforms, including sites such as HDrezka, KinoGo, KinoBar, Zetflix, Seasonvar, and the-cinema.online. Paid platforms are used less frequently: 14.1% of respondents said they favor local services (Bee TV, Kazakhtelecom TV+, Qazaqsha, and others), 10.3% opted for international ones (Netflix, Prime Video, HBO Max, Apple TV+, Disney+, Megogo, etc.), and 9.7% preferred Russian platforms (KinoPoisk, Amediateka, Ivi, Start, Premier, More.tv, Okko, Viju, 1tv.ru, and others).

By age group, paid platforms from Kazakhstan are most popular among young people aged 24 to 28, Russian platforms among teenagers aged 14 to 18, and Western platforms among those aged 19 to 23. Free platforms, however, remain dominant: 59.4% of respondents aged 14 to 18 use them, as do 56.8% of those aged 19 to 23, 58.2% of those aged 24 to 28, and 59.9% of respondents aged 29 to 34.

In terms of content preferences, the study shows that young people in Kazakhstan most often watch domestically produced films, series, and shows, with 57.7% favoring local content. Russian productions are watched by 45.1% of respondents, Hollywood by 41.9%, Turkish by 24.3%, European by 23.8%, South Korean by 20.4%, Japanese anime and films by 12.1%, Chinese films by 7.9%, and Indian films by 7.1%. Meanwhile, 8.4% of respondents said they do not enjoy watching films or TV series at all.

Although the internet increasingly captures the audience for video content, offline cinemas still remain popular in Kazakhstan as a leisure activity.

There are no separate data for young people, but overall, according to the Bureau of National Statistics of the Agency for Strategic Planning and Reforms of the Republic of Kazakhstan, cinemas in the country were visited by 23.3 million viewers of all ages in 2024 — 10.9% more than a year earlier.

Most viewers attended cinemas in Almaty: 7.8 million people compared with 7.1 million a year earlier, an annual increase of 10.3%. The top five regions also included Astana (4 million people), Shymkent (1.9 million people), Aktobe Region (948.6 thousand people), and Mangystau Region (815.6 thousand people). The lowest figures were recorded in Akmola, Zhetysu, and North Kazakhstan Regions.

In total, there were 121 organizations providing film screenings in 2024, compared with 123 a year earlier. Among them were 113 cinemas, including 109 indoor venues.

The number of seats in indoor cinema halls increased by 0.6% over the year, reaching 56.2 thousand. Revenues in the sector grew by 17.7% in value terms, to 43.9 billion tenge. At the same time, the number of screenings decreased by 5.9%, to 927.5 thousand. Most screenings featured foreign films (543.4 thousand), while fewer were devoted to domestic productions (339.3 thousand).

It also remains to mention the cost of cinema visits. As of August this year, cinema service prices fell by 0.3% month-on-month, but rose by 10.1% year-on-year.

By region, most prices did not change in monthly terms. Two developments stand out. First, ticket prices rose sharply in West Kazakhstan and Pavlodar Regions — by 13.6% and 9.3%, respectively. Second, prices in Shymkent dropped significantly (by 10.6% in a month), which largely drove the nationwide monthly decline.

In annual terms, prices increased in 14 out of 20 regions of Kazakhstan. The sharpest rise was recorded in Mangystau Region (27%), followed by Astana (22.9%) and West Kazakhstan Region (21.9%). The lowest annual increase was in Abai Region (2.2%). Prices remained unchanged from last year in five regions — Akmola, Aktobe, Almaty, Kyzylorda, and Ulytau. Shymkent was the only city where cinema tickets became cheaper (by 10.6%). The annual figure matched the monthly one, indicating that the decline occurred quite recently.

The average cinema ticket price in August stood at 2.3 thousand tenge, compared with 2.1 thousand tenge a year earlier. Among major cities, the highest prices were observed in Ust-Kamenogorsk (3.1 thousand tenge), Atyrau (2.9 thousand tenge), and Turkistan (2.8 thousand tenge). More affordable prices were found in Semey (1.6 thousand tenge), Petropavlovsk (1.7 thousand tenge), and Taraz (1.8 thousand tenge).