68,000 MovieGoers Beg Hollywood to Make More Comedies and Thrillers

We need butts in seats if Hollywood is going to survive along with the theatrical exhibition. When studios are greenlighting movies, the conversations of who would see what is at the top of their lists. Well, now they have a pretty comprehensive report from the Global Cinema Foundation telling them what people want to see. The GCF sent out a survey to see what kinds of movies people want to watch. Over 68,000 people in 15 markets worldwide replied.The survey revealed that 72% believe moviegoing offers good value. Demand remains high for action/adventure films (55%), despite their prevalence. Additionally, 51% desire more comedies in theaters, and 46% seek more thrillers, even as these genres increasingly seem to go to streaming platforms. While a strong majority (68%) of moviegoers are enthusiastic about upcoming releases, with excitement peaking among those under 34 (83%), audiences over 45 expressed the most dissatisfaction with the current selection of compelling films, despite their availability and interest in attending.The study also found that only 6% prefer watching on streaming. CREDIT: The Global Cinema FoundationJane Hastings, the Global Cinema Foundation Chairperson, said of the study, “One of the goals for the GCF is to ensure global customer insights are shared with the film community so we can collectively better respond to customer demand. The industry often talks about how to drive frequency to the cinema and the answer is clear; releasing more films in cinemas that customers want to see drives frequency. Our customers are telling us that they have no barriers to going to the cinema when there is a movie they want to see. There is a great opportunity to meet this demand so attendance and frequency grow. We also want to shine a light on the investment in innovation in cinema experiences worldwide, which is driving ticket price growth and supporting record-breaking box office results globally.”If I were a development executive, I would march into my boss's office with these results and reexamine our slate. This is not a small sample, but a good portion of global respondents who obviously enjoy going to the movies and want more reasons to get there. If we're going to bounce back, we need to start greenlighting what people want. Let me know what you think in the comments.

Mar 20, 2025 - 21:03

68,000 MovieGoers Beg Hollywood to Make More Comedies and Thrillers

We need butts in seats if Hollywood is going to survive along with the theatrical exhibition. When studios are greenlighting movies, the conversations of who would see what is at the top of their lists.

Well, now they have a pretty comprehensive report from the Global Cinema Foundation telling them what people want to see.

The GCF sent out a survey to see what kinds of movies people want to watch. Over 68,000 people in 15 markets worldwide replied.

The survey revealed that 72% believe moviegoing offers good value. Demand remains high for action/adventure films (55%), despite their prevalence. Additionally, 51% desire more comedies in theaters, and 46% seek more thrillers, even as these genres increasingly seem to go to streaming platforms.

While a strong majority (68%) of moviegoers are enthusiastic about upcoming releases, with excitement peaking among those under 34 (83%), audiences over 45 expressed the most dissatisfaction with the current selection of compelling films, despite their availability and interest in attending.

The study also found that only 6% prefer watching on streaming.

68,000 MovieGoers Beg Hollywood to Make More Comedies and Thrillers CREDIT: The Global Cinema Foundation

Jane Hastings, the Global Cinema Foundation Chairperson, said of the study, “One of the goals for the GCF is to ensure global customer insights are shared with the film community so we can collectively better respond to customer demand. The industry often talks about how to drive frequency to the cinema and the answer is clear; releasing more films in cinemas that customers want to see drives frequency. Our customers are telling us that they have no barriers to going to the cinema when there is a movie they want to see. There is a great opportunity to meet this demand so attendance and frequency grow. We also want to shine a light on the investment in innovation in cinema experiences worldwide, which is driving ticket price growth and supporting record-breaking box office results globally.”

If I were a development executive, I would march into my boss's office with these results and reexamine our slate. This is not a small sample, but a good portion of global respondents who obviously enjoy going to the movies and want more reasons to get there.

If we're going to bounce back, we need to start greenlighting what people want.

Let me know what you think in the comments.