This document summarizes information about two successful disaster movies from 2016: Deepwater Horizon and The Finest Hours. It discusses the plots, which are both based on true stories, and the star-studded casts of both films. It also analyzes the target audiences, which ranged from ages 18 and up, and how the films aimed to provoke emotional responses. Finally, it addresses that films within this genre will share similar techniques but can distinguish themselves by having a deep, emotional storyline that captivates audiences.

1. Genre Market Research

2. Successful Disaster Movies 2016 –
Deep Water Horizon
Deepwater Horizon is a 2016 American biopic disaster film directed by Peter
Berg, written by Matthew Sand and Matthew Michael Carnahan, and starring
an ensemble cast including Mark Wahlberg, Kurt Russell, John Malkovich,
Gina Rodriguez, Dylan O'Brien and Kate Hudson. It is based on the 2010
Deepwater Horizon explosion and oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.

3. Deep Water Horizon Reviews

4. Deep Water Horizon Success And
Audience
• This movie is based off of the true story of the Deep Water Horizon crew
and their fate as the oil rig they worked on went catastrophically wrong.
The movies success was due to the inspirational story of how the
remaining crew managed to escape and survive until rescued.
Furthermore, the film has an all star cast including, Mark Wahlberg, Kurt
Russell, John Malkovich, Gina Rodriguez, Dylan O'Brien and Kate Hudson.
This is partly why the film had such a strong box office performance.
Additionally, the cast portrayed the characters with such a strong
performance that the film became an emotional rollercoaster.
• The Audience was aimed at anywhere from 18 upwards, this film can
relate to its US and UK audiences especially as this was a huge legal case
involving both the US and UK governments as well as BP. Additionally, the
audience would be able to relate t the movie as they will remember the
event and the enormous global effect it had. Finally, the film was aimed at
provoking a huge emotional response from the audience by showing the
frailty of human life and the dangers of this type of work.

5. Successful Disaster Movies 2016 – The
Finest Hours
The Finest Hours is a 2016 American historical drama-thriller film directed by Craig Gillespie and
produced by Walt Disney Pictures. The screenplay, written by Eric Johnson, Scott Silver, and Paul
Tamasy, is based on The Finest Hours: The True Story of the U.S. Coast Guard's Most Daring Sea
Rescue by Michael J. Tougias and Casey Sherman. The film stars Chris Pine, Casey Affleck, Ben
Foster, Holliday Grainger, John Ortiz, and Eric Bana, and chronicles the historic 1952 United States
Coast Guard rescue of the crew of the SS Pendleton, after the ship split apart during a nor'easter
off the New England coast.

6. The Finest Hours Reviews

7. The Finest Hours Success And
Audience
• This movie is based off of another true story, much like the previous
movie, about US Coastguard trying to save the crew of the SS Pendleton,
after the ship split apart during a storm off the New England coast. This
film also has a star studded cast, including the likes of Chris Pine, Casey
Affleck, Ben Foster, Holliday Grainger, John Ortiz, and Eric Bana. Chris Pine
is well known for his portrayal of Captain Kirk in the J.J. Abrams Star Trek
movies. This means that people commonly relate Chris Pine to a good
performance and thus this draws people in to this movie. Furthermore,
the film is based upon a true story and thus will be popular, Titanic, Deep
Water Horizon and Apollo 13.
• The audience, very similarly to the previous movie, will be 18 upwards.
The younger audience will be enticed by the movie as they can relate to
Chris Pine as a modern actor. Whereas the older generation may
remember stores about the actual disaster and some may even remember
it themselves. This allows the film to target a wide range of ages to help its
path to success. Finally, the film plays on the audiences suspense and
emotions as the Coastguard fight to save the lives of the crew.

8. Competition
• The films that may offer a threat will be the movies/films that are the
most similar. These could be due to themes or the storyline of the
movie/film. Furthermore, the characters/Mise En Scene will share some
similarities with other movies/films within this genre.
• In conclusion the competition will all share very similar techniques as they
are genre specific. However, to make my movie/film better than the
competition I will have a deep and emotional storyline to entice the
audience into the storyline and thus captivate them. Furthermore, my
movie/film will have relatable problems that an audience can see
themselves in and moral choices that make them think, for example in
“The Road” the father is constantly trying to keep his son safe whilst trying
to remain moral as he is a man of religion.