2. Genre Analysis
• As of 2014, Horror is the sixth most financially successful genre, with a
4.48% market share. 608 examples have been produced since 1995,
accumulating total box office sales of $10,654,579,332. This is considerably
lower than the comedy genre, which grosses around five times more, as
horror films typically have a much lower budget.
• Because the story is primarily what sells the film the actors do not have to
be very well known, resulting in less market shares overall. This means
horror films tend to get a platform release, gradually opening in more
theaters as word of mouth spreads and the marketing campaign gains
momentum.
• Another reason horror films don’t gross as much as comedy and adventure
is because of a higher proportion of families purchasing tickets. As they
offer lighter entertainment they are more suitable for children to see, and
this is reflected in the fact that PG-13 films are by far the most popular,
outselling R rated films by 71%.
3. Average Profit
• Horror Films gross an average of $19,484,409, six times
their typical budget. This results in an average profit of
$16,237,007.
• Although the average gross for comedy films is roughly
the same, much more examples have been produced from
1995 to the present day, accumulating total box office
sales almost five times greater than the horror genre.
However, action is the most successful genre as a
measure of average gross, raking in $62,222,118.
4. Audience Figures
• Horror films are most likely to be watched by males aged
between 18 and 24. This is because the majority of
people who attend the cinema are in this age bracket and
males tend to prefer thrill and action within a film
whereas females typically prefer lighter entertainment
such as comedy and romance.
• To ensure that our film is a success it is vital that, as well
as being frightfully shocking, it is also entertaining and
exiting. This is because it is the thrill factor that appeals
to the majority of people who watch horror films. Action
films seek to thrill the audience continuously, explaining
why, on average, they are the highest grossing films.
5. Distributers
• One of the main distributers of horror films is Universal
Studios. A horror film they released recently was Mama,
which turned out a profit of $131,428,180. It received
generally favorable reviews, with one critic saying
“Movies like Mama are thrill rides. We go to be scared
and then laugh, scared and then laugh, scared and then
shocked.” This suggests that it is important to includes
elements of humor in horror films to lighten the mode,
and is reiterated by the fact that comedy is by far the
most popular genre, out-grossing the second most popular
genre, adventure, by $11,952,859 from 1995 to the
present day.
6. Summary
• From the data I have collected I think the most appropriate
MPAA rating for our horror film would be R. This is because,
although the average gross is considerable lower than PG-13,
it is nevertheless the second highest grossing, enjoying a 27%
market share. In addition, an R rating reflects both the thrill
factor associated with the genre and the age bracket of the
majority of cinema goers, ensuring that our film is enjoyable
for a horror audience.
• If our film was to be released a suitable company to distribute
it would be Universal Studios as they are one of the most
financially successful distributers of the genre (in 1975 they
released Jaws, the highest grossing film in the world at the
time). We would hope to recoup a similar profit to the
average in the genre, around $19,500,000.
