Entertainment industry has struggled to understand Gen Z for many years. There is now more insight into their tastes.
The short answer? Minions, Dwayne “The Rock”, Johnson according to Morning Consult data.
The long answer is: Generation Z shares many of the same traits as older generations. For example, they love horror and comedy. However, this generation is more conscious about how their time is spent. They prefer shorter TV episodes and shorter feature films. They also spend less time reading news from traditional media sources.
This group, which ranged in age from 13 to 25, grew up on the internet and social media. It was poised to inherit a strong economy and an almost record-low unemployment rate.
The pandemic then hit.
This tech-savvy group was already in reach of studios before Covid-19 shut down movie theatres. It pushed audiences towards streaming options and social networking entertainment like TikTok. Hollywood is trying to adapt to this younger audience by ramping up production. Showbiz will need to be able to recognize the changing tastes of this audience as it matures.
“It shouldn’t be surprising that Gen Z is all around social media,” stated Saleah Blancaflor (business of entertainment reporter at Morning Consult). “Our Morning Consult research has shown that Gen Z hear about the upcoming releases mainly from those who post about them via social media.”
Blancaflor highlighted the “#GentleMinions”, which became popular on TikTok this year with Universal’s release and Illumination’s “Minions: The Rise of Gru,” as a prime example of Gen Z hearing about movie releases and rallying to drive box office ticket sales.
Young moviegoers wore formal wear to the screenings. According to PostTrak data from Comscore, 56% of domestic box office receipts were earned by people between 13 and 24 years old.
“Minions The Rise of Gru” is a sequel to “Minions,” the 2015 film. It’s a spin-off/prequel of “Despicable Me”, the main film series.
According to Morning Consult the Despicable Me franchise, which includes “Rise of Gru”, has a greater fan base than any other entertainment property among American Gen Zers.
Sony’s Jumanji franchise is second. It’s buoyed in part by Gen Z’s love of The Rock – Morning Consult stated that 73% had a positive opinion of the action superstar.
Next are Disney’s Marvel Cinematic Universes and “Pirates of the Caribbean,” followed by Universal’s ‘Jurassic Park’. Netflix’s “Stranger Things”, which is owned by Warner Bros. Discovery ranks sixth.
Gen Z is the new generation of Minions. A little over 12 years ago, the first “Despicable Me” was released.
Blancaflor explained that many of the properties that were mentioned in the survey tend to be more popular with millennials. “Lord of the Rings was a bit lower than Minions and Jumanji, but Star Wars was higher.” Those films and many Marvel movies came out before Gen Z started to get old.
This indicates that Universal is on track to greenlight more Minions content. “Despicable Me 4” is due to be released in July 2024.
Morning Consult discovered that Gen Z loves horror movies much more than the general public.
The firm’s data showed that 1 in 3 Gen Z adult saw a horror film in theaters this autumn. This is an impressive turnout considering how difficult it has been for Hollywood studios to bring back audiences consistently since the pandemic.
Blancaflor reported that Gen Z was becoming a more reliable group in her report. “In particular, it is for scary stuff.”
She mentioned that recent original horror movies like “Barbarbian” from Sony Pictures and “Smile,” by Paramount Pictures, have performed better than expected at the domestic box offices due to their younger audiences.
Blancaflor stated, “Message for studios: more horror comedy and horror-comedy Gen Zers have a wide range of tastes in genres.” “They want movies and TV shows that scare them just as much as they desire them to make them smile.”
Morning Consult recommends Hollywood invest in advertising on platforms such as TikTok, where Gen Z lives, as they try to lure moviegoers back to theatres.
The majority of Generation Zers learn about upcoming films and TV shows through social media posts, according to data. Gen Zers listened to more than half the #GentleMinions trend via TikTok. They were encouraged and encouraged to watch the film in cinemas, and record themselves wearing suits and sunglasses.
Similar results were achieved for the social media marketing campaign of “Smile,” where actors were hired to attend televised MLB game and give creepy smiles to cameras.
Morning Consult reported that apps like TikTok also have an impact on how Gen Z spends their time watching TV or watching movies.
The age of long TV shows on prestige TV, such as the hour-plus-long “Game of Thrones” episodes, and blockbusters that can run for more than three hours, was ushered in by television. Gen Z is not happy with this trend.
c Gen Z preferred films between two and two-and-a-half hours in length.
Blancaflor explained that although some streaming services have attempted to increase show length, others have reverted to their original format. She pointed to Quibi as an example of a failed short-form entertainment platform that attempted to produce 10-minute episodes.
Blancaflor explained that Quibi might have realized that younger audiences prefer more condensed content. However, the execution of this app was not perfect, which led to the app being shut down after only a few month.
She stated, “How the generation spends their time it is important and precious to us.”