SURVEY SAYS – Sharing Cinematic Experience(s)

July 16, 2009 (PLANSPONSOR.com) - This week I also asked readers to share their summer movie picks - and asked them which of the summer blockbusters (and there have been several) they had managed to see.

As for which they had managed to see, the most commonly cited was ” Star Trek “, which more than a third ( 34.2% ) had checked out.  

Roughly one-in-five ( 20.3% ) had seen ” Up “, and nearly as many ( 19.0% ) had seen ” The Hangover ” (one reader noted, ” The Hangover was one of the best movies I have seen. Very, very funny. Aside from Heather Graham, there are no big name stars. My husband and I saw the movie with my 25-year old daughter and her boyfriend on July 4 night – the theater was packed.” ).   Among the rest of the list (more than one could be chosen):

12.7% – Night at the Museum II

10.1% –

  8.9% –

  7.6% – Public Enemies

  6.3% – X-Men Origins: Wolverine

  2.5% – Fast and the Furious

  1.3% – Taking of Pelham 123

Oh – and 5.1% said they had checked out Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (which opened yesterday at midnight – one bleary-eyed reader noted, “I was able to see the midnight show of Harry Potter last night and I’m working on 2 hours of sleep. But it was worth it!!” ) – and several others who opted for “other” did so because they had not yet gotten to see the latest in the Potter saga.

That said, a full quarter chose to opt for "other".   " The Proposal " showed up most often (and I will say that the trailers look quite funny), but " Angels and Demons " (that somehow escaped my list, despite the fact that I actually saw that one) was also popular, as was " Ice Age III ".   As one reader noted, "I'll be heading to Ice Age Dawn of Dinosaurs this weekend with my 4 year old. Other than that, we don't get to the movies much with 3 little ones at home. If we get away, we prefer dinner, wine and adult company in which we can complete a sentence or two."

Recommended Viewing

I also asked readers which ONE of the movies they would recommend - and here Star Trek was the clear favorite, getting the thumbs up from 36.8% of the respondents.   Not that there wasn't some commentary on that point.   

One reader noted, "I liked the new Star Trek, but I was just disappointed that JJ Abrams destroyed Vulcan and changed the history of the future. It just doesn't sit well with me. Granted, it was always a bit formulaic that whenever time travel was involved, there was always a neat "deus ex machina" ending where everything was set right, so this definitely peeled away from that.   I enjoyed the move, the technical effects, the acting, the costumes, but that one item nags me to death, so I can't say I loved it. I was a huge fan of ST: TNG, and this reboot effectively puts that "future" in jeopardy of never having happened (I know...it's all science fiction anyway and none of it has happened anyway...but... oh crud... see what this does to me... )"

Editor's Note - I'm choosing to believe this all happened in an alternate universe…the movie, that is, not the reader comment!

In fact, Star Trek was more popular than any of the others listed by quite a bit - garnering the support of more than twice as many as did "The Hangover" ( 17.5% ), and more than three times as many as "UP" ( 10.5% ).  

Despite its limited exposure, 5.3% chose the new Harry Potter, while there was modest support for X-Men Origins and Night at the Museum 2.

Those looking for something a little different - several readers recommended "Away We Go."   On the "not recommended" list was, according to one reader, "Dance Flick - NOT RECOMMENDED. If this is PG-13, then my idea of what 13 yr olds know is grossly out of date. Also the last time my 13 yr old will be allowed to pick the movie! "

"None" Habits?

Now, despite all that, the most common response this week for movies seen was - "none of the above", with many noting that the combination of workload, expense of going to the theater, and/or a lack of interest in the current offerings had served to keep them "in."   Oh - and in the recommended category - more than one-in-five (21.5%) chose "none of the above."

One reader noted, "I think I am about three summers behind on the movie blockbusters."

But this week's Editor's Choice goes to the reader who hadn't seen any, and noted, "But several are on my list."

Thanks to everyone who participated in our survey!

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