This document analyzes cinema audience trends in the UK from 1997-2012 based on age, gender, social group, region, and ethnicity. Some key findings include: - The proportion of cinema-goers aged 45+ has increased sharply since 2011, surpassing younger age groups for the first time. Films appealing more to older audiences include Mamma Mia!, The King's Speech, and Salmon Fishing in the Yemen. - Younger age groups (15-24 and 25-34) have seen a gradual decrease in cinema attendance. - Animations, family films appeal most to 7-14 year olds. Comedies and actions appeal most to 15-24 year olds. D

1. Audience task by Catherine May

2. Cinema audience by age
 The proportion of people aged 45 or above going to the cinema increased
gradually between 1997 and 2008 and increased sharply in 2011 and 2012 after a
two-year decline. In 2012, they represented the highest proportion (36%) of 15+
cinema-goers for the first time since Statistical Yearbook records began.
 The rise is suggested to be due to the greater number of films being released
with particular appeal to the older generation. For example; Mamma Mia! in
2008, The King’s Speech in 2011 and Salmon Fishing in the Yemen and The Best
Exotic Marigold Hotel in 2012.
 The proportion of people aged 15-24 and 25-34 going to the cinema has
gradually decreased over the period, ending with particularly sharp falls for 1524 year olds who made up only 25% of the cinema-going audience in 2012,
compared to 31% in 2011 and 38% in 2010.

3. Age Distribution of cinema-goers aged
15+ 1997-2012

4. Cinema audience by age
• Animations and family films such as The Pirates! In an Adventure with Scientists,
Brave and Nativity 2: Danger in the Manger! Particularly appeal to the 7-14 age
group.
• Comedies and action films appealed most to 15-24 year olds, where the films with
the highest above-average audiences were Ted, American Pie: Reunion, Taken 2 and
The Hunger Games Action and comedy films also appealed to 25-34 year olds where
American Pie: Reunion and Prometheus had the highest above-average
Audiences.
• Parents and carers in the 35-44 age group meant that shares for The Pirates! In an
Adventure with Scientists The Muppets and Madagascar 3: Europe’s Most Wanted
were higher than average.
• Drama, fantasy and comedy were popular in the 45-54 and 55+ age groups with
Salmon Fishing in the Yemen attracting significant above-average audiences in both
groups.

5. Film preferences by gender
 The overall audience for the top 20 and top UK films in
2012 had a slight bias towards males who made up 52%
of total cinema-goers for these films.
 On an individual basis, some films attracted substantially
more of one gender than the other.
 This is shown in 2011, ass males preferred action films with
Dredd, Wrath of the Titans and The Sweeney topping the
list of films with a greater male audience appeal.
 Females preferred a broader range of genres with Anna
Karenina, StreetDance 2 and Nativity 2: Danger in the
Manger! having the highest female audience appeal.

6. Film preferences by gender

7. Film preferences by social group
 UK films were popular among all social groups,
often attracting a significant above-average
audience share.
 UK drama appealed most to the AB social group, with Salmon Fishing in
the Yemen, The Iron Lady and Anna Karenina attracting significant
above-average audiences (Table 15.8).

8. Film preferences by social group
 No films had a significant above-average audience
share in the C1 social group, but action films had the
greatest appeal.

9. Film preferences by social group
 A range of genres appealed to the C2 and DE groups, but comedy,
action and family films attracted significant above-average audiences
(Tables 15.10 and 15.11). Six in 10 of the StreetDance 2 audience were
from these groups.

10. Film preference by nation or region
 Most regions had one or two films with a significant
above-average audience; none of the top 20 and top
UK films attracted a significant above-average
audience in Scotland, the Midlands and Yorkshire
regions.
 However, Brave, an animation set in a mythical
Highland kingdom, had the highest audience share for
Scotland.

11. Film preference by ethnicity
 Black and minority ethnic groups (Asian, Chinese, mixed
and other) were over-represented among buyers of cinema
tickets, video rental and pay-per-view, and underrepresented among viewers of sell-through video.
 Among white audiences sell-through video had the highest
estimated buyers, followed by cinema, which had the
highest number of individual purchases (over 182 million);
this is more than double the next highest market, video
rental.

12. Film preference by ethnicity