Overview
Why is aural health a growing wellness opportunity space? In what ways are movie theaters making a cultural comeback? And how are consumers exploring different cultures in an age of geopolitical fragmentation?
Below are our March 2026 consumer trends: three cultural topics on our radar this month and their impact on people. By scanning the headlines, keeping tabs on social media conversations and tuning into the zeitgeist, we connect the dots between our trends and the wider world so that you can make sense of what’s happening now and what it means for you.
Key insights
- Ear care is moving from niche concern to core self-care pillar. Google searches around the topic of ear health have grown by 123% over the last year, and collaborations such as Loop x SoulCycle demonstrate rising commercial activity.
- Movie theaters are having a cultural moment. While attendance still sits at just 64% of pre-pandemic levels, consumers and celebrities alike are fighting for the cinema as an important third space. Young people could be cinema’s savior: Gen Z moviegoers’ frequency of attendance grew by 25% over 2025, and big releases targeting Gen Alpha are helping to keep the industry afloat.
- Despite global polarization, consumers are increasingly interested in other cultures. “Chinamaxxing” is a growing trend on social media, Korean culture continues to capture global imaginations, and Bad Bunny’s record-breaking Super Bowl performance helped to kick off a new interest in Puerto Rico and the Spanish language.
1. Aural wellness goes mainstream: Reframing hearing health
Self-care now includes ear care
Ear care is moving from niche concern to a core pillar of self-care, fueled by rising awareness of noise exposure, sensory overload and the broader wellness economy. Brands like Loop have reframed ear protection as a lifestyle signal. The brand’s collaboration with SoulCycle further underscores this, bringing limited edition earplugs into a fitness driven, performance-oriented environment where wellness behaviors also indicate status.
This momentum aligns with urgent health realities. According to the WHO, by 2050 nearly 2.5 billion people will experience some degree of hearing loss. And this isn’t only affecting older populations: over 1 billion young adults are currently at risk from unsafe listening habits. The scale of the challenge is creating space – and demand – for new forms of sensory protection and enhancement.
Hearing care innovation
Despite consumer-side demand, commercial activity appears to be catching up more slowly.
Meanwhile, Elehear Delight devices and Starkey Omega AI demonstrate rising consumer appetite for discreet and personalized sound management. Even AirPods are edging into medical-adjacent territory, with the Pro 3 model reported to offer hearing aid-like functionality.
Beyond hearing aids and ear plugs, other related growth categories include diagnostic devices, ear care products like wax removal kits, and treatment for issues such as tinnitus.
Taken together, these shifts signal a new wave of aural wellness, where hearing protection, enhancement and sensory control converge. The opportunity now lies in helping consumers to not only protect their ears but optimize their entire sensory environment.
How should brands tap into rising demand?
Normalize hearing devices as lifestyle accessories. Work with hearing aid and hearables makers to co-design stylish options. Retail them on the same shelves and sites as wearables, eyewear and jewelry so consumers encounter them in an aspirational context rather than a medical aisle.
Educate consumers on healthy listening habits. Partner with experts to provide materials that teach consumers of all ages how to protect their hearing. Use platforms such as parenting forums and social media to spread awareness of the impact of hearing loss on cognitive development and health.
2. Lights, camera, comeback: The return of the movie theater
The post-pandemic movie theater is fighting back
As we enter Oscars season, consumers and public figures alike are pausing to reflect on the cultural significance of the movie theater, and whether it has a future worth fighting for.
After years of pandemic-era disruption, the cinema is still not quite back on its feet. Domestic attendance in the US reportedly sits at just 64% of pre-pandemic levels, and in the UK, a recent survey by the Independent Cinema Office found that only 41% of independent cinemas were confident in their survival over the next three years. And AMC, the world’s largest movie theater chain, has announced that it expects to close more locations than it opens going forward after disappointing financial results in 2025.
The convenience of streaming platforms, combined with high living costs, have made trips to the movies feel, for many, like an unjustifiable luxury. Indeed, a majority of consumers say that they prefer to watch brand new film releases on streaming services than in the movie theater, even if it means they have to wait for them to be available online (source: Foresight Factory, 2025).
The cinema as a third space
And yet, despite the bleak statistics, a growing number of signals point toward a widespread desire to revive the moviegoing experience.
In February, actor Kristen Stewart purchased a historic Los Angeles movie theater that had been shuttered for two years after being in operation for nearly a century. She announced her plans to transform it into “something for the community”.
Meanwhile, at the Golden Globes in January, actor Stellan Skarsgård gave a speech about the “magic” of cinemagoing, saying: “In a cinema, where the lights go down and eventually you share the pulse with some other people. That is magic. Cinema should be seen in cinemas.” It became one of the most-shared moments of the awards season, a telling sign that his words resonated beyond the ceremony’s usual audience.
Younger generations could be cinema’s savior
It’s tempting to blame digital-first young people for the decline of the movie theater. But several sources suggest they are the ones responsible for keeping the industry alive. Moreover, their online activity could in fact be motivating them to go to the movies more, not less.
Indeed, a 2025 report from Cinema United found that Gen Z moviegoers’ frequency of attendance grew by 25% over the year, the largest increase of any group. Gen Z are also the lead users of Letterboxd, the film review platform that reached 17 million users in 2025 and counts 18- to 24-year-olds as its main user base. For many young people, Letterboxd has become a gateway into film culture more broadly. And on TikTok, #FilmTok has more than 2.4 million posts – a mixture of movie reviews, in-depth analyses and niche genre discussions from a community that is likely doing for movies what #BookTok has done for books.
How should brands react to the cultural renaissance of the cinema?
Support the preservation of third spaces in communities. Amid the rise of digital living, consumers are craving physical, age-agnostic spaces where young and old can meet and mingle. Often this is about transforming environments from single-purpose into something more multifunctional. Does your brand have a role to play in reimagining a leisure venue or retail space as an anchor of community life?
Design shared moments of magic into your brand experience. Even as the homebody economy continues to rise, consumers still seek out live experiences that offer collective emotional immersion. Consider what moments in your customer journey have the capacity to create a genuine collective, sensory feeling.
3. Culture brings consumers together despite geopolitical divisions
Online discourse can trump geopolitical divides
Global headlines continue to foreground geopolitical and trade tensions, and the world is growing more fractured with the rise of minilateralism. And yet, consumers around the world are coming together around shared moments, on both social and mainstream media, that encourage curiosity and a desire for greater understanding of other cultures. This highlights that, while online discourse can often be divisive and polarized, it can also bring people together, offering an uplifting and unifying narrative that brands can get involved in.
“Becoming Chinese” and “Chinamaxxing” take hold online
Back in 2024, we highlighted the potential for Chinese culture to go mainstream around the world with our Guochao Goes Global opportunity space, and this certainly seems to be the case on social media in 2026. Phrases such as “becoming Chinese” and “being Chinese” have been trending on Instagram and TikTok, with creators such as Sherry Zhu extoling the virtues of popular Chinese customs such as drinking hot water and wearing slippers indoors.
Korean culture continues to grow in popularity
Elsewhere, the phenomenal success of KPop Demon Hunters, K-pop and Korean culture in general continues to make waves around the world. According to the Korea Foundation, the number of “hallyu” (Korean pop culture) fans globally has increased dramatically in recent years – from 9.26 million in 2012 to an estimated 225 million in 2023. Now, there are reports of growing interest among consumers in the US and elsewhere in learning the Korean language, with Duolingo experiencing 22% year-on-year growth in Korean learners in the United States, and several universities expanding their Korean language and culture courses to cope with demand.
Puerto Rico enjoys a jump in interest thanks to Bad Bunny
One of the most talked about aspects of the 2026 Super Bowl was Bad Bunny’s halftime show, which was seen as an epic homage to Puerto Rican culture. Indeed, the performance, which was the most watched halftime show ever, prompted a spike in Google Trends searches for Puerto Rico and, in an echo of the popularity of Korean culture, increased searches for Spanish language lessons. Some brands pre-empted the growth in interest, with Discover Puerto Rico offering a bilingual YouTube livestream called “The Plena Game Report“, with its own real-time cultural commentary alongside the game. Reflecting the global nature of cultural exchange, Bad Bunny has also proven popular in China, with one of his songs recently topping the Apple Music chart there.
How should brands appeal to culturally curious consumers?
Give consumers reasons to celebrate with you. Our trend Everyday Celebration examines consumers’ appreciation of new reasons to party, including adopting customs and cuisines from other cultures. This February alone saw not just Lunar New Year but also the start of both Ramadan and Lent, with UK supermarkets, for example, offering marketing activations against all three of these. There are opportunities for brands to introduce shoppers to new customs and flavors in ways that feel authentic and avoid accusations of cultural appropriation.
Help consumers go deeper in their understanding of other cultures. The recent popularity of cultures from elsewhere in the world is characterized by a desire to get more than just a superficial experience but a deeper understanding and knowledge. This is shown by, for instance, interest in learning new languages. In addition to the examples already mentioned, the HBO hit drama series Heated Rivalry has prompted some fans to learn Russian. There is a demand from consumers for agile upskilling that helps them engage with different cultures in a more authentic way and at a deeper level. Consider how you can facilitate this, whether through recipe ideas, language lessons or how-to guides related to your products or services. This desire also relates to our trend Local Allure, where consumers crave an authentic sense of place, both at home and around the world.
Talk to us about getting access to Collision
These March 2026 trends are part of a longer report published on Collision, our dynamic trends intelligence platform. Members get access to these reports at the beginning of every month, so they always have a finger on the pulse of consumers and culture. If you’re interested in learning more about Collision and how the platform can make a difference to your business, get in touch today.
