RESEARCH: Genre & Audience Research - BFI Statistical Yearbook 2014

Different types of genres appeal to different types of audiences. Genres can appeal to different age groups, socio-economic groups, regions etc. which make the audience. The BFI Statistical Yearbook 2014 informs readers on what films were successful in terms of genre and what audiences they attracted.

Research regarding Genres

I found out that the most successful genres at the UK box office were:

• Animation - Despicable Me 2                                              
• Action - Iron Man 3
• Comedy - The Hangover Part III

Additionally the least successful genres were:

• Romance - I Give it a Year
• Documentary - One Direction: This Is Us
• War - Lore

These outcomes give me a deeper understanding on what people prefer. Moreover, it makes me understand that some genres appeal to one type of group: e.g. Romance appeals mostly to females whereas Comedy appeals to both genders. 

Comedy had the most released films in 2013-2014 credits to the film Hangover Part III , making 153 films within these years.  Animation released 33 films and Action released 47 films. This tells me that Comedy is one the most popular genres in film meaning that more and more films are starting to use the genre of Comedy as money is invested into it compared to other genres. The film audience decreases as the genres become appealing to a certain target audience e.g. War was the least successful genre as it generally appeals to older men who enjoy violence and history. The film production companies probably put a lot of emphasis in the title sequences for the comedy films compared to the least successful films. The downfall to the least successful films could be that their budget was low so they didn't have a title sequence to set the tone for the film which obviously means there was no expectations from the beginning of the film by the viewers.

Research regarding to Audiences

• 15-24 year olds made up the largest population of the cinema admissions in the UK which is nearly 33%; this was mainly to watch the famous Hangover Part III. Amongst cinema goers over 55 years of age , Quartet was a popular film for them to watch.
• The most successful comedy films within the age off 15-24 year olds were: Fast and Furious 6, Kick Ass 2 and  Hangover Part III.
• For the over 50s the most popular films amongst them were : Quartet, Philomena and Les Misérables. They are drama, biopic and musical films. Films aimed at older people tend to be subtle and gentle films not energetic and hyperactive like action films that are aimed at 15-24 year olds.
• Genres like Thriller, Action and Comedy are most popular with men as men are seen to be fierce and can handle anything especially scary things like thrillers. 
• Genres like Romance, Animation and Documentary films were most popular amongst females as its relatable to them in everyday life in terms of relationships. Animation and documentaries have a sentimental and emotional effect on females that it doesn't have on males.
• UK films appeal to all social groups such as: AB which is the upper middle and middle class; C1 is the lower middle class; C2 is the skilled working class and DE is the working class. 
• Popular films within the age group of 7-14 year olds were : One Direction: This is Us, Wreck it Ralph and Despicable Me 2. This tells me that the Animation genre is an all-time favourite for this age group and young girls at this age tend to love boy bands such as One Direction who would be eager to attend cinemas to watch the documentary. 
• In my opinion, the reason why Frozen, Croods and Jack the Giant Slayer were popular amongst the 35-44 age group is because unlike any other genre animation can easily made into a sub-genre. For example, Jack the Giant Slayer is an animated film but still involves elements of war which is enjoyed by men around this age. This is probably why animation was so successful at the UK box office because it appeals to more than one target audience by conveying two different genre elements. 
• Three films popular amongst the 25-34 year olds were: Django Unchained, Fast & Furious 6 and Rush. Moreover, Rush and Oz the Great and Powerful was popular amongst the socio-economic groups of C1 and C2.
• The popular films in London were Django Unchained, Gravity, Fast & Furious 6 and I Give it a Year. Popular films in Scotland were Sunshine on Leith, Filth and Stark Trek into Darkness. From this evidence, I can see that the genres enjoyed by London differ from Scotland. Londoners tend to watch action, sci-fi and romance films whereas Scottish viewers tend to watch crime, music/dance and sci-fi films. This shows that certain genres appeal to certain regions of the world.

Extension task

• In 2011 and 2013 for the first time ever Parental Guidance films earned less than Universal films but in general, PG and 15+ films profit a lot of money according to the UK box office.
• In 2013, the 12A classification decreased for the first time since 2010 but it bounced back as its trend has increased at the box office. In 2013, 12A films was occupied by 46% of the total box office.

Deborah