A recent poll conducted by online retailer FYE.com of both a thousand millennials and a thousand Americans over the age of 50 has revealed that those classified as millennials (born late 1980s – early 2000s) are not fans of classic films.

The study found that less than 25% of millennials have watched a film from start to finish that was made pre-1960s, and only 33% have seen a film from the 1960s.

Additionally, 30% admit to never having watched a black and white film all the way through, with 20% branding those kinds of films ‘boring’. In fact, only 28% in the study had seen “Casablanca,” 16% had seen “Once Upon a Time in the West,” and just 12% had caught “Rear Window”.

Millennials also tend to lie a lot more about what they’ve seen with 30% admitting having felt social pressure to lie that they have seen an old classic in its entirety – as opposed to 3% of the over 50s.

That’s not to say the Baby Boomers don’t have their own prejudices with 8% admitting they haven’t seen a film made after 2010. Only 30% of the 50+ actively use streaming services as opposed to 72% of millennials.

The study also found the over 50s tend to watch films on cable or TV whilst Millennials gravitate to the cinema, disc or online viewing.

Millennials are much more likely to choose horror as opposed to Baby Boomers who gravitate to westerns and are more than twice as likely to only watch films if they’re available in HD.

The most common films seen by Millennials include “The Lion King,” “Forrest Gump,” “Back to the Future,” “The Dark Knight” and “The Matrix”. By the over 50s its “Forrest Gump,” “Back to the Future,” “The Silence of the Lambs,” “It’s a Wonderful Life” and “The Godfather”.

Source: The New York Post