Three-quarters of film fans spend up to an hour researching what movie to watch

09 October 2023 , 11:22

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Three-quarters of Brits spend up to an hour researching before deciding whether to watch a certain film (Image: SWNS)

Film-loving Brits are more than twice as likely to spend over an hour choosing which movie to watch – than they are to prepare for a date, or even for a job interview, research has found.

Some of the top ways big screen buffs prepare to pick a movie is to spend at least 60 minutes watching trailers (74%) or reading reviews (78%).

And the survey of 2,000 adults found that 59% have been swayed to watch a film they may not have otherwise considered – by the opinion of a professional film critic.

The storyline, the length of the film, and who is in the cast, are some of the top factors Brits take into account when doing their film research.

But when it comes to other important things that require preparation, just 36% will spend up to 60 minutes getting ready for a job interview, while 35% said the same about prepping for a date – and 39% will spend this amount of time on choosing where to go for their next holiday.

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The research was commissioned by Sky, in order to mark its free monthly ticket offering from Sky Cinema, in partnership with Vue.

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Sophia Ahmad, chief consumer officer at Sky UK and ROI, said: "We know how much our customers love those goose-bump moments when watching a film they’ve been waiting for, and we know choosing one can involve serious research.

"This new offer gives people the chance to watch a movie on the big screen at no extra cost, all while still being able to enjoy an unrivalled line-up of films at home."

Londoners take the longest to ponder over a film choice, at 37 minutes – with one in three admitting they’ve even snubbed friends for their taste in movies. But when it comes to the Scots, 18% don’t ever look at reviews before pressing play on a film.

Those aged 25-34 spend the most time reading write-ups (10 minutes) and watching trailers (nine minutes) – and are even the most likely to row with a partner about what to watch, compared to other generations (14%).

And the over-60s take the least time to prepare, as they will only spend six minutes reading up on film reviews before making their choice.

But it was also revealed 47% would trust the opinion of their partner more than they would a critic when it comes to movies. And 58% admit they have been left disappointed after watching a film that was given a five-star review by critics.

For 17%, a bad meal would be less disappointing than a critically-acclaimed film that didn’t meet expectations, while 9% reckon they would get over their favourite sports team losing, quicker than they would having sat through a bad film that had received a lot of hype.

And the same number (9%) would spend less time feeling disappointed if they had a serious holiday mishap.

It also emerged 22% have previously been put off seeing a film they were excited, about because of a bad review. Nonetheless, 63% have watched something before that was rated poorly by critics – but had been pleasantly surprised.

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The study, conducted via OnePoll.com, also revealed comedies, science-fiction, and rom-coms are the genres people believe critics are the harshest towards.

Martin Winter