The document analyzes box office data and viewership statistics from various sources to assess the popularity of the horror genre. It finds that while some horror films made top 20 lists, in general horror was less represented than other genres like comedy and family films. Horror films appealed most to lower social class groups and younger male audiences, but did not have broad popularity overall, especially compared to genres that earned more money per film. The data shows horror is one of the least popular genres according to UK box office statistics.
3. TOP 20 FILMS 2014
• This shows worldwide box office sales,
meaning these are the most popular films of
2014
• Although there are some films which contain
aspects of horror, such as ‘Planet of the Apes’
and ‘Godzilla’, there are no films on this list
that fit exclusively into the horror category
• This suggests that horror films are not one of
the most popular genres
5. TOP 20 UK FILMS 2014
• This shows a similar pattern, however there is
one horror film in this list- ‘Dracula Untold’
• This doesn’t necessarily mean that horror is more
popular in the UK, however, as this could’ve been
a film only released in the UK
• It is also in 17th place, meaning that other genres
(particularly family and comedy) were more
popular
• However, this is very general and does not
represent the entire country
6.
7.
8. • Again, only one horror film is seen on the list of the most
popular youth films
• This suggests that this age group are less interested in the
horror genre, especially as the majority of films above
‘Dracula Untold’ are comedy
• However, this age is also more likely to view films in a
wider range of mediums, such as streaming via the
internet, meaning that it is very difficult to tell the true
numbers of young people who enjoy the horror genre
• The 25-34 statistics also show this trend, however the
horror film is the most popular on this list
• However, the percentage of the audience for this film is
still lower than the younger age group, suggesting that
this age in fact goes to the cinema less
10. Film Preferences by Gender
• Horror films appear to have no real gender
bias according to this list, as no horror films
are included in these figures
• However, the film ‘Godzilla’ which contains
elements of horror (although classed as
science fiction) was more popular amongst
men, suggesting they are more open to this
genre
13. Film Preferences by Social Group
• The DE social group is the only one which
contains a horror film, and this is the lowest
social class
• This is the second most popular film with this
group
• However, this only represents 15% of the
population, possibly meaning that horror, as a
whole, is not hugely popular with the general
population
16. GENRE
• Horror is one of the least popular genres in the UK
• Worldwide, it is actually higher up the list, earning
£22.9 million at the box office
• There are a much larger number of horror films
released, however, than many other genres that
earned more money, meaning that the genre
possibly makes less money per film than other
genres
• These figures are not entirely accurate though as
many people watch films in other manners than just
the cinema, and many people regularly watch films
that aren’t just new releases