Creator Economy Evolution: The Box Office’s Next Big Star is Your Favorite YouTuber

The creator economy has cemented itself as a fixture driving today – and tomorrow’s – media landscape. What started as a niche on YouTube and TikTok has turned into a $250 billion ecosystem projected to more than double in the next five years. That’s because these creators have found a way to pull more cultural weight, influence more purchasing decisions, and command larger, more loyal audiences than most traditional media.

So why aren’t they thinking bigger? Bigger screen, that is.

Creators Are Already Winning. Now, It’s Time to Scale.

Let’s be clear: creators have become empires. MrBeast isn’t just any other guy making videos – he’s running a billion-dollar business with global distribution, merch, burgers, chocolate bars, and soon…theme parks. Emma Chamberlain went from bedroom vlogs to fashion's front row, luxury brand deals, and red-carpet appearances. Christian Joseph Savasta – popularly known as “The Rizzler” – helped turn an April Fools’ joke into a legitimate Arizona Beverage iced-tea flavor. TikTok stars are launching VC firms, production studios, and F&B brands. The definition and scope of being a creator has changed vastly.

While these creators, among others, have been successful, most are still fighting for attention on small screens, playing algorithm roulette. If creators want to scale their influence and monetize with intention, it’s time to think beyond the small screen and embrace new ones.

Movie Theaters: The Sleeping Giant of the Creator Economy

Box office attendance is trending upward against an impressive 2025 slate of movies, with hype already building for what’s to come in 2026. The 2025 box office has already exceeded $4 billion with hits like A Minecraft Movie, Lilo & Stitch, and Jurassic World: Rebirth, reaching

multicultural audiences with a median age of 30 years old.

Beyond the right audience, theaters deliver unmatched scale and attention. While people scroll past Instagram Stories in 1.3 seconds, cinema holds attention 6x versus other forms of media, with 94% recall for ads viewed in theaters – versus 25–30% for mobile. NCM ensures this attentiveness with Attention Guarantees, the most recent addition to its Business Outcome Guarantees, which guarantees in-theater ad campaigns will outperform the Adelaide Cinema Benchmark and Attentive Reach measurement. That’s the kind of performance marketers crave and creators can uniquely tap into.

Culture Still Happens at the Movies

From the bold storytelling of Sinners, to the viral "Chicken Jockey!" and KPop singalongs, movies continue to shape culture. One cinematic moment can dominate everything from a group chat or media moment to an entire TikTok or X feed and beyond for weeks. Imagine if creators weren’t just reacting to the moment, but they were shaping it. Whether it’s premiering original content, hosting live fan events, or launching a brand in an entirely new dimension, theaters give creators the chance to be part of the cultural moment, not just drop content about it. NCM is doing exactly that with The Screen Team, a creator-led content series that brings creators to the big screen to discuss all the buzz around the biggest films of the year – seamlessly integrated into the theater experience.

A New Stage for Brand Partnerships

While creators have mastered brand deals online, cinema offers an opportunity to raise the bar. Tapping into cinema’s highly engaged audience and an unskippable ad environment, cinema provides a new channel for amplification. Brands are desperate to reach Gen Z and multicultural audiences in a trusted, high-impact space – which is exactly what theaters offer. With new technology and a wealth of valuable data, cinema now delivers both brand and performance marketing, giving branded content a new opportunity to convert their influence into measurable outcomes.

The Bottom Line

The future of creator media goes beyond vertical videos and short-form content. Creators are poised to be the next big stars of entertainment, with material that's ready for the big screen and offers unparalleled brand value in front of audiences at scale.

Creators have already conquered the feed. Now, it’s time to conquer the theater.