Tornado yarn “Twisters” surpassed audience tracking estimates by a wide margin, playing exceptionally well in middle America and the Southeast (where real twisters are a menace!) and on big-screen cinema. Universal Pictures collected a sizeable $81.2 million in domestic boxoffice July 19-21, as “Twisters" surpassed prerelease tracking estimates by 60% (the estimate was $50 … [Read more...] about ‘Twisters’ Storming Mid-America, 4DX
demographics
‘Deadpool’ Chows Down on Fast Food
“Deadpool & Wolverine” snagged the 2,200-restaurant Jack In the Box chain for a tie-in promotion, a rare alliance for an age-restricted R-rated film. No kiddie meals here! The R cinema classification requires accompanying parent or guardian for ages 17 and younger. Walt Disney Studios will premiere “Deadpool & Wolverine” on July 26 domestically (U.S. and Canada). The … [Read more...] about ‘Deadpool’ Chows Down on Fast Food
Young Adults Boost Specialty, Art House
The hardscrabble independent and art house segments of cinema are getting a lift from the young adult demographic, which is augmenting the traditional mainstay of older adults, according to a Hollywood Reporter story. Upmarket indie and art house have relied on middle-aged and older adults, or in industry slang the “elderverse,” so the recent influx of ages 18-49 young … [Read more...] about Young Adults Boost Specialty, Art House
Radio Plugs its ‘Reach’ for Film Ads
Radio is making its case that audio media merits a bigger slice of movie advertising budgets because it provides breadth — a wider swath of audiences than alternatives — and a higher percentage of heavy moviegoers. At the moment, radio gets just 1-2% of movie advertising (linear TV and digital media gobble up around 95% of movie ad spending). In custom research commissioned … [Read more...] about Radio Plugs its ‘Reach’ for Film Ads
‘Haunting in Venice’ Downplays Pedigree, Hypes Horror
“A Haunting in Venice” is based on an Agatha Christie mystery novel, but the theatrical film adaptation was marketed as a horror film, ignoring its best-selling author pedigree. What gives? It seems Walt Disney Studios decided that moviegoers are not moved by literary acclaim, but horror sells at the boxoffice. Christie, who died in 1976, did not get noticeably … [Read more...] about ‘Haunting in Venice’ Downplays Pedigree, Hypes Horror
Ken Makes ‘Barbie’ Sizzle
“Barbie” walked a marketing tightrope with Job No. 1 being to satisfy the core girl audience of the toy line while at the same time pushing different messages to adult demographics. To go wider, the breezy Ken character delivered dry humor, a police mug-shot photo of the Barbie character showed her being busted (Ken too), and other out-of-character self-parody was introduced … [Read more...] about Ken Makes ‘Barbie’ Sizzle
Lightning Strikes Indie Hit ‘Freedom’
Child trafficking drama “Sound of Freedom” emerged as a surprise independent-caliber blockbuster, and is unwittingly a lightning rod for culture wars/political buzz. The $15 million production has grossed $66 In domestic boxoffice as of July 14 (10 days in release) and is rated PG-13. Most indie films would be happy with half that for final U.S./Canada boxoffice, and “Sound … [Read more...] about Lightning Strikes Indie Hit ‘Freedom’
Tiny ‘Frequent’ Demo Drives Boxoffice
Cinema is still a “frequent moviegoer” affair. Major studio trade group the Motion Picture Association estimates that 3 percent of the U.S./Canada population accounts for an outsized 34 percent of movie ticket sales. That 3 percent that drive cinema economics are “frequent” attendees, defined as individuals that buy at least 12 movie tickets a year, according to the MPA. … [Read more...] about Tiny ‘Frequent’ Demo Drives Boxoffice
Female Demo Lags in Cinema Rebound
Cinema-going is bouncing back but one troubling trend is apparent. The female demographic — particularly older women — are not returning to movie theaters at their prepandemic proportion. And it remains to be seen if female underrepresentation is only temporary or permanent, which would be a blow to the cinema industry. Females accounted for 51% of the population, but only … [Read more...] about Female Demo Lags in Cinema Rebound
Researchers Track Film Audiences Across Media
Two industry research giants are expanding their data offerings that will immerse Hollywood with more insights about consumer viewing of movies across multiple media platforms. Comscore and Nielsen both announced separate film initiatives this month. Comscore unveiled its Movies Everywhere service for “a new reporting system to track box office movies performance across all … [Read more...] about Researchers Track Film Audiences Across Media