RESEARCH: Genre and Audience - BFI Report

Genre

In 2013 the three most successful genres in the UK box office were Animation, Action and Comedy, whilst the least successful three (in order of highest to lowest) were Romance, Documentary and War. With 153 films in 2013-14, the comedy genre has released the most, whilst animation only sits at 33, and action at 47. This tells us that the film production of action films, for example must be expensive - they use lots of special effects, including expensive props and make up. It further implies that animation is also expensive to make, but is more time consuming than others, especially if drawing every frame (although that is rarer now-a-days). Moreover, it tells us that the highest ranking films are the most appealing to audiences as they have the highest grossing box office; more people went to see them in cinema than films of other genres.



Audience

The largest proportion of cinema admissions in the UK was made by young adults aged 15-24 who created 33% of all UK cinema goers. Within this age range the most popular comedy film was Hangover part 2, whilst the over 50's on the other end of the spectrum enjoyed the drama/comedy film Quartet. However the most popular genre overall for the 50+ audience was independent UK films, with 45% preferring them.
The older children/younger teenagers 3 most popular films were Wreck-It Ralph, Despicable me 2 and Monsters University, all family animated films. The older audience of 35-44 year olds also seemed to enjoy animated/family films the most; they were likely the parents of younger children whom the film was aimed at. The age group below this - the 25-34 year olds - appear to enjoy action films most, their top 3 being Django Unchained, Fast and Furious 6 and Rush.
Men seemed to enjoy Action, Comedy and Thriller films the most, whilst there was no particular or defining category for women, who seemed to watch a wider range of genres.
The middle class audience enjoyed a range of film and genre, from action films like Rush to animated children comedies like Despicable me 2.
In London, cinema goers favoured the fast-paced action films of Django unchained and Fast and furious whilst up in Scotland UK made films were popular, like Sunshine on Leith and Filth; they did also enjoy American blockbusters however like Star Trek into Darkness.



My own findings

Whilst researching the BFI report I noticed some interesting things. To begin with, Disabled people are dramatically under represented throughout nearly all film platforms (excluding physical sell through). Most notably they only make up 11.3% of all cinema goers in the UK. This perhaps sheds light on the accessibility of the film industry and maybe even discrimination against those with disabilities whether intentional or not.
Another thing I noticed was that the last film in the Harry Potter franchise, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, made £11.1 million less than the first film, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's stone, despite having a much much larger fan base.