New Study Casts A Doubt Over Hollywood’s Future
A recent study carried out by events analytics firm Performance Research, in partnership with Full Circle Research Co. casts a doubt over the future of Hollywood. Published by Variety, the study shows just how far the movie industry has to go to win back the public’s trust, as safety concerns heavily outweigh the urge of heading to the cinema.
The study surveyed 1,000 people to see what the entertainment industry is facing when it comes to earning back public confidence in spending money and to attend venues again. Findings state that 52% of respondents will attend fewer large public events, even after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and local governments of the United States of America say it’s safe to do so.
Health concerns surrounding the COVID-19 also led to a whopping 70% of participants saying they are more likely to watch from their couch, while just 13% say they are more likely to watch at a local cinema, when it came to catching a first-run feature as a digital rental at home or in a movie theater, if both were available today.
Similarly, the study highlights a worrying outlook for Broadway productions. 51% of respondents say it will take a few months before they will attend a Broadway show in New York even after it’s deemed safe to do so, and 16% say they may never go again.
Additionally, the study also shows the potential shift in the future of Hollywood filmmaking, caused by the pandemic. Surprisingly, comedy came out on top when participants were asked which movie genres would most likely get them to buy a movie ticket. Meanwhile, superhero films – the genre that has dominated the industry for the past decade, was only the third most popular choice.
Therefore, this potentially points to how the mass audience would be keen to step away from escapism offered by the likes of The Avengers, to indulge in human-scaled storytelling and the need for laughter in high anxiety times.
Source: Variety
