This cross-cultural descriptive empirical research observes the relationship of 937 high-school students from eight countries of the European Union with cinema. A survey was applied in 37 schools and 28 cities for individuals participating in a course on film literacy that was offered free of charge and as an extracurricular opportunity in their educational centres. The statistical analysis of the responses shows patterns perhaps tied to the respondents’ culture (country) in their motivation for going to the cinema, their film-choice preferences, the media they watch the films on, the ways they select and obtain the films they watch, the frequency with which they download films and their preferred genres. However, there are also common patterns of use and consumption across the European adolescents in the sample. The results of this research are useful for understanding the place that cinema occupies in the life of youngsters today and particularly relevant for audiovisual regulators, who, they, should take into account the cultural characteristics of young audiences if their actions are to bear fruit.