Webedia Movies Pro (WMP) today revealed the results of an extensive survey tracking moviegoer behavior over the course of a year. The study, commissioned by WMP and produced by Vertigo research, tracked the age and gender of more than 100,000 moviegoers over a year, polling a representative sample of 2,000 moviegoers weekly.

“Young women and moviegoers above 50 represent a very powerful yet untapped force at the box office. They are avid filmgoers and consistently lead weekly admissions. But not a lot of films capitalize on these audiences. Our White Paper found a strong correlation between attendance and representation. To drive more of these moviegoers to the theater, it is imperative to have more representation on screen,” said Marine Suttle, SVP Chief Product Officer, Webedia Movies Pro.

On a whole, the study showed that 35.2% of U.S. moviegoers are above the age of 50; and 33.8% under the age of 25.

Digging deeper into these numbers, however, the study revealed trends regarding young female moviegoers and their untapped power at the box office. For example:

– Women ages 15-24 lead weekly admissions, responsible for on average 2 million weekly admissions (compared with 1.7 million for their male counterparts, ages 15-24), leading by a factor of 1.18x.

– Female moviegoers ages 15-24 continuously and consistently lead in admissions compared to males of the same age, even with superhero movies and blockbusters with a majority male audience. (The one exception to this trend is the week of “Aquaman”’s release.)

Compare this to the rate of female attendance to movies where females were the majority of the cast:

– Of the top 30 films from the surveyed time period, 30% of the cast was female.

– However, films with a majority of women in the audience had an average of 34% women represented in the cast.

The correlation between representation and attendance can be seen again in moviegoers above the age of 50:

– On average, only 25% of the cast in the top 30 films from the surveyed period was age 50 or above.

– The proportion almost doubles, reaching 49%, for films where moviegoers over the age of 50 represent the majority audience.

The full report, which is based on data collected from March 2018 to February 2019, can be requested by contacting info@webedia.us

Note: The terms ‘targeting women’ and ‘targeting men’, or ‘targeting boys’ and ‘targeting girls’ are used to denoting films that have more than 50% of men or women in their audience. It does not by any means refer to a value judgment about the inherent target, be it based on gender or age, of a movie because of its characteristics such as the genre or the cast.

About Webedia Movies Pro
Webedia Movies Pro is the world’s #1 provider of technology and data for the global film industry. The Hollywood-based company partners with leading search and discovery platforms, as well as studios and exhibitors of all sizes to help them connect directly with moviegoers and fans, using the latest innovations in ticketing, business intelligence, and digital marketing. Webedia Movies Pro offers a collection of premium products including websites, mobile applications, CRM, and online ticketing solutions for thousands of exhibitors worldwide, generating over a half a billion dollars in box office revenue in 2018. Over 90% of internet audiences searching for movie showtimes and listings are exposed to data powered by Webedia Movies Pro. Uniquely positioned at the heart of the entertainment industry, Webedia Movies Pro also publishes Boxoffice magazine, the world’s leading source of business information for film professionals.

Part of the Paris-based Webedia Group, Webedia Movies Pro is headquartered in Los Angeles with offices in New York, Mexico, Brazil, France, UK, Spain, and Germany.