Guess what THE AVENGERS, IRON MAN, SPIDER-MAN and CAPTAIN AMERICA have in common?
They all very successfully kicked off the past several summer movie seasons with early May debuts.
Now as we are about to reenter the tentpole season beginning with GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY-VOLUME 2 (May 5) I would like to address two major concerns facing the motion picture industry—specifically the theatrical exhibition side of it.
It’s no secret that several major Hollywood studios are pushing for an even shorter span between a film’s first showing on the big screen and it is being made available to video on demand, DVD and other means of digital distribution.
It’s a major concern to theater operators but one we’ll hold for future discussion.
The other ongoing concern is the decreasing numbers of millennials going to the movies on a (what used to be) regular basis.
Instead they pick and choose from among tentpole offerings and ignore the rest.
How to lure them back?
* Spectacular screen presentations in spacious auditoriums?
* Wine and beer service during the show?
* Couch-like, luxurious seating?
But are those ONLY answers?
Frankly, that’s way above my pay grade.
On the far brighter side is the INCREASING attendance levels of 60+ oldsters.
Forgotten ticket buyers? Think again!
A recent national survey by the Movio research firm and commissioned by AARP indicates that the older moviegoer has become a powerful force at the box office.
Moviegoers age 50 and up now make up 31% of ALL audiences over the age of 14!
Some other observations from the survey:
* Older moviegoers make up 75% of all paid ticket visits to art house movies.
* As a whole older moviegoers account for 49% of tickets sold to mature thrillers.
* Moviegoers 50+ also contribute significantly to the success of tentpole films, making up 27% of those audiences.
* Older adults are less likely to see a movie on opening weekend than the general audience. On average moviegoers 50+ see a movie 15.2 days AFTER its initial release.
* Moviegoers 50+ drive ticket sales on films that are marketed specifically to them.
For example the average person aged 50+ who watched Helen Mirren in WOMAN IN GOLD attended the cinema 14.5 times over the past year, compared to 6.7 times for the average American moviegoer overall.
* Although 62% of moviegoers 50+ visit theaters on the weekend, those 65 and older are more likely to attend on Tuesdays (17%) and Wednesdays (10%) than younger adults.
Analyses for this survey using Movio’s media database is based on a sample of 500,000 U.S. moviegoers between August 1, 2015 and August 1, 2016.
There were other interesting and eye-opening aspects to the study.
But if there’s just ONE thing to come away with, it’s that the older moviegoer is still an industry segment not to be ignored!
Matinee tickets are cheaper for seniors and they won’t fall asleep before the movie is over.