Millennials are Movies' Biggest Superheroes This Summer

According to the January through May 2015 Nielsen Cinema Audience Reports more than 213 million persons 1834 ie Millennials have been to the movies in the USamp160so far this year amp8212 a 30 increase from the same period last yearamp160Remarkably it only took 31 movies to generate that kind of box office ticket sales while in 2014 Hollywood needed 110 movie titles to generate something even close to that level of attendanceamp160 So why did a considerably smaller number of movies this year generate more ticket sales at the box officeamp160amp160 Like all good media sales it was better targetingamp160 And who is that targetamp160 Who else The MillennialWhile we may typically think of Millennial moviegoers as young men heading out to see action blockbusters 2015 has been a much more balanced year of films attracting audiences from both gendersamp160 Clearly titles like Jurassic World or Furious 7 or Avengers Age of Ultron have wide audience appeal infused with classic testosteroneladen accoutrements like car chases hand to hand combat and managainstnature run amok conflicts for guys But ladies also rushed to the movies this year fueled by amp160Rrated films such as Fifty Shades of Grey Trainwreck The Wedding Ringer Unfriended Kingsman Focus Magic Mike XXLamp160and yes Mad Max Fury Road amp8212 a reboot that took a decidedly different point of view that empowered women with what could be an Oscar nominated performance from Charlize Theronamp160Now truth be told there are in fact more Rrated films in distribution this year than lastamp160but that39s just one piece of the puzzle Despite fewer PG and PG13 rated film titles in play so far on 2015 attendance by Millennials is up for those two movie rating categories as wellamp160amp160I find it especially interesting that two of the top fiveamp160biggest box office opening weekend movies so far this year animated PGrated family friendlyfilms Inside Out and Minions amp160also pulled in a significantly Millennial audience as reported by Nielsen and MFour amp160demonstrating the power of a sweet and funny story to appeal to this key demographic as wellRankTitleMPAA RtgBox Office OpeningOpening DayP1834M1834F18341Jurassic WorldPG13208806270 61220155683522162Avengers Age of UltronPG13191271109 5120154632402233Furious 7PG13147187040 4320156003732274MinionsPG115200000 71020156032473565Inside OutPG90440272 6192015497188309Source Nielsen Cinema Audience Report 2015 and Mfour mobile market research firmIn a way Millennials are like any other generation amp8230 to paraphrase a classic quotIf you make movies they want to see they will comequot This year Hollywood lined up wellknown franchises and actors that needed little premarketing to appeal to this particular age group amp160think Insurgent Pitch Perfect II Cinderella Spy Avengers Age of Ultron Hunger Games and Star Wars amp160While they may have great targeted marketing campaigns these films really need little more than a welltimed trailer released online to set off the buzz and advance ticket sales with this groupamp160Combine this connected momentum with a generational trend toward quotdisconnectingquot via cordcutting and what you essentially have is a phenomenon in which the new digital social media is driving Millennials to the original quotsocialquot media amp160the communal experience of the movies After going to the theater with their friends in person they then complete the circle by sharing their thoughts about the movie with their larger social network onlineAnd Hollywood has given them a lot to talk about Looking forward to the rest of the summer and beyond the Millennial buzz is highamp160and predicted attendance figures for this key demo are strongestamp160for the following upcoming filmsFilmRatingDateStudioMission Impossible Rogue NationPG137312015ParamountFantastic Four PG13872015FoxAmerican UltraR8212015LionsgateSinister 2R8282015Focus FeaturesPan 3DProjected PG131092015Warner BrosMastermindsPG131092015RelativityCrimson PeakR10162015UniversalParanormal Activity The Ghost DimensionR10232015ParamountSpectreProjected PG131162015SonyColumbiaThe Hunger Games Mockingjay Part 2 Projected PG1311202015LionsgateSeth RogenJoseph GordonLevitt XMas MovieR11252015Sony ColumbiaCreedProjected PG1311252015Warner BrosStar Wars The Force Awakens 3DProjected PG1312182015DisneySistersR12182015UniversalDaddy39s HomeR12252015ParamountSource NCM EstimatesAnalysts are predicting that 201539s total summer takeamp160could reach a high of 45 billion second only behind the Iron Man 3led 48 billion summer of 2013amp160 With a stellar fall and holiday movie season on the horizon it looks like Hollywood has definitely found the right formula for getting Millennials to continue to line up at the box office this year and for years to comeThe opinions and points of view expressed in this commentary are exclusively the views of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of MediaVillagecom management or associated bloggers

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Millennials are Movies' Biggest Superheroes This Summer

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