ASTORIA, NY.- Museum of the Moving Image (MoMI) announces record attendance, with a total of 311,000 visitors in 2025. Not only does that figure exceed pre-pandemic numbers, but it also reflects a 105% increase from 2024 and a 147% increase from 2023. Based on a visitor experience analysis conducted by Coda Societies in conjunction with MoMI, New York City residents make up 61.4% of general admission, 89.6% of film program attendees, 89.5% of Museum members, and 78.9% of family visitors. Repeat visits contributed significantly to the attendance growth, with nearly half of the general admission attendees visiting the Museum for at least the third time. MoMI also tracked its highest single-day attendance on February 14, 2026, recording 3,600 visitors on the opening day of Stories and Set Design for the Sopranos, also the first day of the screening series 2001: The Year, Not the Movie, and Valentine’s Day.

“These record numbers are a testament to what happens when a museum opens itself fully to its community,” said Aziz Isham, Executive Director of Museum of the Moving Image. “I’m incredibly proud of our team and grateful for their work, as well as for the partnership of our collaborators and supporters, who all contributed to bringing this success to our institution. Over the past two years, we’ve focused on making MoMI a gathering place, a space where New Yorkers can see themselves reflected in the stories we tell, and where media and technology become tools for connection, creativity, and civic conversation. The response has been extraordinary, and it’s only the beginning.”

The Museum’s attendance growth is largely attributable to special programs and events, including the success of Open Worlds, an initiative launched in 2023 that expanded the number of community-focused programs and free access to the public. Events such as the recent Lunar New Year and Iftar celebrations attended by community members, elected officials, and artists alike continue to highlight the Museum’s role as the cultural anchor of western Queens. In 2025 alone, MoMI hosted more than 500 screenings presented as part of major series such as First Look, See It Big: 70mm, See It Big: Stunts, a complete Terence Davies retrospective, as well as ongoing series organized around themes such as World of Animation, Science on Screen, Las Premieres, and more. Most screenings were hosted in the Museum’s Sumner M. Redstone Theater, a 267-seat venue fitted with a Dolby Atmos sound system and a new laser projector in 2025, and supporting 70mm prints and 3D, making it one of New York City’s best-equipped movie theaters; many of MoMI’s screenings are followed by a Q&A with a lead actor or filmmakers.

In addition to events and programs, exhibitions were a key driver of museum attendance in 2025, with The Jim Henson Exhibition continuing to attract very strong engagement. The temporary exhibition Mission: Impossible—Story and Spectacle, celebrating how the action franchise combines technical ingenuity, personal discipline, and artistic commitment in service of storytelling, welcomed more than 81,500 guests to the Museum. These combined efforts have drawn younger audiences who view the Museum, located in the country’s most diverse county, as a space to explore how technology, film, and media shape our understanding of society, especially in the age of AI and algorithms. Among the exhibits that attract younger audiences is the Video Flipbook in the Museum’s core exhibition Behind the Screen, allowing visitors to “star” in their own flipbook, which can be printed and purchased in the Museum shop—a popular experience for couples on dates.