Back in May, we ran a survey for our audience about how they feel about going back to the movies and what movies they most want to see. We just did a follow-up to that survey, and the responses came like a flood – over 16,000! They indicate that movie fans are more than ready to get back to theaters – but they’re asking that things look different this time around.
Here are some interesting findings from our survey:
- 74% are ready to return to theaters in one month
- 40% are ready to return to theaters immediately
- 34% say spaced seating is their #1 safety request
- 30% said the theater staff need to wear masks
- 85% plan on wearing a mask themselves
- 87% say being able to digitally order tickets to eliminate physical contact is important
- 68% say they’d pre-order concessions for the first time
But the more fun part of the survey was when we polled people about what movies they’re most looking forward to seeing this year and next. The top three movies for each year aren’t that surprising, but when you widen the field, it gets a little more interesting. Keep in mind we polled people in the U.S. and Canada, but as the rankings are (almost) identical for both countries, I’m using the overall total of both the U.S. and Canada combined.
Top 3 2020 Movies Fans Most Want To See:
- Black Widow (Marvel)
- Wonder Woman 1984 (Warner Bros.)
- No Time To Die (MGM/Universal)
Top 3 2021 Movies Fans Most Want To See:
- The Eternals (Marvel)
- Jurassic World: Dominion (Universal)
- The Batman (Warner Bros.)
Even with the COVID-19 pandemic wreaking havoc on theaters and studios, it’s clear that once we get back into the swing of new tentpole movies hitting theaters, Marvel, Warner Bros. and Universal are going to be just fine. Just like with our first survey, movies centering women and female superheroes lead the pack. The only difference is that with Mulan being moved to Disney+, she’s no longer in our Top 3.
Now let’s take a look at the expanded list for this year and next.
Top 20 Movies Fans Most Want To See Through 2020-21:
- Black Widow (Marvel)
- Wonder Woman 1984 (Warner Bros.)
- The Eternals (Marvel)
- Jurassic World: Dominion (Universal)
- The Batman (Warner Bros.)
- No Time To Die (MGM/Universal)
- Venom: Let There Be Carnage (Sony)
- Mission: Impossible 7 (Paramount)
- Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them 3 (Warner Bros.)
- Top Gun: Maverick (Paramount)
- A Quiet Place Part II (Paramount)
- Ghostbusters: Afterlife (Sony/Columbia)
- Fast 9 (Universal)
- Minions: The Rise of Gru (Universal)
- Godzilla vs. Kong (Warner Bros.)
- Coming 2 America (Paramount)
- Tenet (Warner Bros.)
- Soul (Disney/Pixar)
- Space Jam: A New Legacy (Warner Bros.)
- The King’s Man (Disney/Fox)
There are a few things to take away from this list. For starters, the list is dominated by the films fans have actually seen footage from or, at least, that we have story details for – it’s hard to get truly pumped for a movie you know little about. But despite knowing very little about The Eternals – we haven’t gotten a trailer or even official first-look photos yet – Marvel’s brand strength has boosted it to the top of the list. In a world of uncertainty, Marvel still has a virtually bulletproof brand.
Of the 20 top movies, 11 are direct sequels, two are prequels, two are franchise reboots, and 15 are part of what could be argued are already-existing megafranchises. Only two movies on the entire list, Tenet and Soul, are wholly original, standalone scripts. Now more than ever, IP franchises and tentpoles are the movies driving people to theaters.
Which movies are you most excited about?
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