A study was conducted to create a portrait of a contemporary art film audience. A survey containing open- and close-ended questions was sent to 329 persons on the mailing list of the International Museum of Photography at the George Eastman House in Rochester, New York, an institution that also runs an art theatre. Among others, analysis of the…

A study was undertaken to design and implement an experimental instrument for testing the influence of the Motion Picture Association of America's (MPAA) film rating system on movie attendance. Sixty-five high school students were given synopses of four different fictional films, each of which had been assigned an MPAA rating of G (approved for…

A study investigated audience motives for movie attendance. Subjects were 493 college students, who indicated on an eight-point scale the extent to which a series of 70 reasons for movie going matched their own reasons for movie attendance. Three frequency of attendance groups were identified: infrequent--once in two to six months;…

There has been little valid and reliable research of the motion picture audience. Specific reasons for the movie industry's own inattention to audience research include the early popularity of films and the fact that since the industry does not sell advertising it does not need to account for its audience size and preferences. Some researchers…

Several reasons for studying motion pictures and patrons' attitudes toward them include the following: (1) current data show that motion pictures account for 53% of the total United States spectator amusement expenditures; (2) the average weekly United States movie attendance has plummeted by more than half since 1930; (3) despite this decline,…

A study was conducted to examine how the motion picture Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) rating system (G-PG-R-X) affects movie attendance. The study also tested the validity of two behavioral theories: (1) reactance theory, which predicts that when a behavioral freedom is restricted or eliminated an individual is motivated to restore…

Few individuals think of the theatrically exhibited motion picture as supported by advertising like other major forms of mass communications. Cinema screen advertising can be defined as the presentation of individual advertising messages on movie theatre screens in a distinct and discrete fashion. Screenvision ads run prior to the start of each…

Reactance theory predicts that when a behavioral freedom is restricted or eliminated an individual is motivationally aroused to restore that freedom. This theory served as the basis of a study that investigated whether motion picture ratings, specifically R and X ratings, acted as a source of reactance arousal for high school students. Subjects…

The relation between revenues from motion pictures and the picture ratings (G, PG, R, X) by the Motion Picture Association of America was examined. Successful films were those listed by "Variety" magazine as the top revenue producers for the given year. Data were collected for the years 1969-1979. The analysis showed that years in which…

The result of an exhaustive review of literature on the subject of film audiences, this bibliography is intended to provide film scholars with a reference tool, to act as an impetus for renewed research interest in the often neglected areas of film audience uses and gratifications, and to provide an update to UNESCO's 1961 bibliography concerning…

In an audience research study, 64 high school students responded to a questionnaire concerning their movie attendance habits and the importance of ten variables to their decision-making process when choosing a movie to see. The results indicated that 26.6% attended movies once a month, 23.4% twice monthly, 6.3% three times a month, 4.7% four times…

A questionnaire was designed for a study assessing both the importance of 28 variables in movie attendance and the importance of movie-going as a leisure-time activity. Respondents were 130 ninth and twelfth grade students. The 28 variables were broadly organized into eight categories: movie production personnel, production elements, advertising,…

An important issue with regard to film audience is the salience individuals attribute to a variety of film-specific variables which, in turn, determine their particular movie-going experience. This study details the results of an investigation of the importance of 28 potentially influential variables in movie attendance decisions. Respondents to…

Arguing that the motion picture industry policies affecting audiences must be developed in terms of behavioral implications, this paper reviews the literature related to the Motion Picture Association of America's (MPAA) film rating system to ascertain the degree to which the system has met its purposes. The first section of the paper offers a…