Opening Weekend Insights: 'IF' brings families together at the cinemas

John Krasinski’s new family movie IF debuted in the UK attracting a significant infrequent* moviegoing audience. This group represented 44% of the total opening weekend audience, surpassing the benchmark for all movies recorded in Movio’s Research Console.

Additionally, IF over-indexed among very frequent moviegoers at 4%, compared to the usual 2% benchmark, with 17% of its audience having visited the cinema within the last month.

The rise in very frequent moviegoers is evident, with the average for 2024’s opening weekends so far sitting at 9%, 4% higher than the same period in 2023 (January-May). These moviegoers tend to purchase their tickets before the movie’s release, with IF seeing very frequent moviegoers account for 5% its pre-release audience. In contrast, infrequent moviegoers are more likely to buy their tickets after the movie’s release.

Admissions

IF attracted mostly family viewings as shown by the large proportion of group admissions. 3+ ticket purchases accounted for 51% of the opening weekend, although this is 14% lower than group admissions for similar title, Migration, indicating a potential to further encourage groups to the cinemas with exclusive marketing incentives. Group purchasers showed a stronger preference to purchase their tickets early during the pre-release period (53%) compared to post-release (47%).

Demographic breakdown

The largest represented age group was 35-44-year-olds at 38%, with the opening weekend also seeing an over-indexing of 45-54-year-olds at 4% above the benchmark. There was also a much higher attendance from under 18's at 9% compared to Migration's 5%.

Females represented 58% of the opening weekend audience, indicating that the opening audience consisted largely of mums accompanying their children to the cinemas.

Targeted Marketing Opportunities

With family releases tending to have a longer tail of admissions, there is plenty of opportunity to engage additional audiences for this film, which kicks off the summer family season.

For example, more family-friendly screening times for PLF sessions such as mid-morning or early afternoon on weekends. These time slots are more accessible for mothers who want to take their children out for an entertaining day.

"Given the genre and subject matter, there’s scope to take a playful approach,” says Vista Group Client Services Director, Lauren Greene.? “For instance, the offer of a 2-4-1 deal where guests can bring their “imaginary friend” could make the experience both more affordable and appealing for families, even enticing repeat visitation across the theatrical run.”

There’s also an opportunity to engage an older crowd to boost further attendance for the movie. Think about leveraging the star power of Ryan Reynolds in your comms for the live-action film, perhaps focusing on those who purchase tickets to Deadpool & Wolverine, which goes on sale this week.

If you are interested in more information about our Research product or for additional insights, please contact us.

*Frequency is based on a moviegoers' six-month session count:

< 2 = Infrequent

2-5 = Occasional

6-25 = Frequent

26+ = Very Frequent