Audience Research

Audience Research

There are many different genres of film from comedy to horror and so on that the is something for everyone to enjoy.

The general target audiences of genres would be:

• Horror - Young men age 18 - 25
• Sci-Fi - Men aged 35 - 40
• Rom-Com - Teenage girls/young women aged 12 - 20
• Comedy - Teenage boys/young men 15 - 25
• Thriller - Men aged 25 - 35
• Action - Teenage boys aged 12 - 18
• Adventure - Teenage boys aged 12 - 18
• Crime and Gangster - Men aged 18 - 40
• Epics/Historical - Women and men aged 40 - 50
• Musicals/Dance - Teenage girls/young women aged 12 - 25
• War - Men aged 35 - 50
• Western - Men aged 35 - 50

In order to find out how films appeal to their target audience and what films people are going to see I have used Box Office Mojo to look at the top grossing films from this weekend.

1. Disney's Frozen the highest grossing film this weekend despite it being weeks after being released in the cinemas.

The film's main target audience is young children aged 3 - 10. Disney's films in the past have been named after the princesses that the story follows for example 'Princess and the Frog' and 'Cinderella' but this has put off young boys from the film. Although the film is based on The Snow Queen and the film follows the story of two princesses the film was named 'Frozen' to appeal to a wider audience. Although the colour white has an obvious link with winter, snow and all things 'frozen' it has connotations of purity which would represent the innocence of children and that the film is lighthearted and suitable for children. The colour blue is also used, this would stereotypically appeal to young boys. Blue symbolises trust and loyalty which is portrayed in the film through the love of the two sisters.

From the trailer you can tell that the marketing has aimed to make the film appeal to people of all ages. The trailer doesn't focus on the princesses or the magic but on the adventurous and comedic side to the film. The comedic elements of the film are shown through the use of the snowman Olaf in the trailer as he is lovable. The princess, Anna isn't the typical princess which makes her likable and not only to little girls. 

The worldwide total as of January 7th 2014 for Frozen is $644,690,988.

Distributor: Buena Vista

2. Paranormal Activity: The Marked Ones

The film's main target audience for this film was young Latinos as that is who the story is based on. From the film's poster you can automatically tell that the film is targeted at young men. The Genre of film is also apparent through the use of colour and imagery. The genre of horror is clearly presented by the use of colour. Red in the typography has connotes danger and would capture the eye on the audience and the colour contrasts with the black background. Black has connotations of death, evil and mystery which clearly represents the theme of the film.

The worldwide total as of January 7th 2014 for Paranormal Activity: The Marked Ones is $38,371,389

Distributor: Paramount.

3. The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug

This is the second film in the trilogy based on The Hobbit by J.R.R Tolkien. The film is mainly targeted at a male audience  between the age of 18 and 30. You can tell that it is aimed at this demographic through the marketing in the film's poster. It shows several men folding weapons signifying that there will be a lot of violence in the film which would appeal to a male audience. The use of blue and green which are masculine colours would catch the eye of men.

The worldwide total as of January 7th 2014 for The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug is $763,254,000

Distributor: Warner Bros.

As Catch's genre is sci-fi the primary target audience is middle aged men between 40-45. Generally males are more likely to go to the cinema to see a science fiction film in comparison to females.Both genders enjoy sci-fi films but often these films are made with a primarily male target audience in mind. Here are the demographics of Sci-fi and fantasy movie lovers:

This proves that there is a female interest in sci-fi but the figures are not as high as it is for males.

The highest specific age range is 40-45 year olds. This is my primary target audience for Catch as it is the age which people are most likely to be into sci-fi. This table does not include statistics about people below 18 or above the ages of 65. As the 'other age' is the highest statistic it suggests there is a very high demand for sci-fi and fantasy for the younger generation. It is unlikely that there is a high demand for sci-fi above the age of 65 as up until that point the numbers decreased significantly.

This is why I have chosen to include a secondary target audience of teenagers between the ages of 12-17.

Here are some things this demographic is interested in, Media institutions play on these interests to attract their audiences.

There is a strong demand for sci-fi/fantasy films such as The Hunger Games. This has a huge fanbase which is mainly teenagers. This could be due to the characters being teenagers and the audience feel empowered and can connect with them. I would like to tap into this target audience by using young characters within catch. This will attract a younger following.