OPINION: What the Oscars nominees tell us about Australian audiences

By Guy Burbidge | 7 February 2020
 
Getty

The movie awards season is in full swing, and as the Oscars finale approaches this is a great opportunity to reflect on another incredibly dynamic, exciting year in our industry.

Competition for eyeballs has never been greater, but neither has cinema’s ability to capture attention at scale. Proliferation of screens continues, and streaming services continue to grow in both number and viewership, but this has done little to deter people from enjoying the latest releases in all their silver-screen glory.

Australian audiences are demographically and culturally diverse with a strong appetite for great stories, and a particular thirst for those that explore or confront important topical issues.

With more than 2,000 screens and 300 locations across Australia and New Zealand and more than 2 million people visiting their local big screen every single week, 2019 was a huge year for cinema. And the latest projections suggest that 2020 is set to be another bumper year with admissions already up 6.8% (1).

The broad appeal of great storytelling ensures cinema audiences are both inclusive and representative. This year’s Oscars shortlist includes themes as entertaining as motor racing (Ford v Ferrari) and Judy Garland (Judy), as serious as extreme nationalism (Jojo Rabbit) and slavery (Harriet), and as contentious as religion (Corpus Christi) and feminism (Little Women).

Cinema also continues to be a great place to connect with the hard-to-reach younger demographic in particular. Whilst superheroes and blockbusters would be expected to attract families and more youthful audiences, even The Joker’s gritty portrayal of mental illness skewed surprisingly young, with 61% of viewers aged 18-39 (2).

Despite the increasing options available to consumers, the success of 1917 is a timely reminder of the magnetic attraction of great film. Currently the highest grossing release of 2020, it is surprising to note that one in four people watching this World War One epic is aged 14-24  In a world of short-form content, reality TV and re-runs, 1917 is a fine example of incredible storytelling and powerful production breathing new life into an old genre, attracting a whole new audience in the process.

But cinema is not only about reach, it is just as much about relevance. From Honeyland’s beautiful portrait of the tension between nature and humanity, to Bombshell’s confronting depiction of sexual harassment (and ultimately female empowerment), this year’s Oscars nominees are testament to the enduring power of film to celebrate and challenge social issues like no other medium can.

Female-directed Little Women continues the success and celebration of female-led casts and is short-listed in an impressive five categories. Yet whilst many eyebrows have been raised at the omission of Greta Gerwig from Best Director, audiences are turning out to support it in droves. Little Women has already out-grossed Gerwig’s 2018 Oscar-nominated movie Lady Bird.

The cross-cultural appeal of film is once again highlighted as South Korea’s riotous satire, Parasite, continues the recent trend of successful foreign language films making it onto the Oscars shortlist. Arguably more revealing however, is the fact that in total over 400 foreign language films featured on the big screen in 2019.

Recent research shows that the majority of moviegoers (7 in 10) watch less than two hours of TV per day, and one in five don’t watch any commercial TV at all (4). With streaming services advertising-free, cinema continues to provide the most powerful vehicle for brands to talk to a diverse audience in a deeply engaging and culturally relevant way.

Regardless of who takes home the golden statues on Monday, it has been another amazing year for our great industry, and 2020 is already shaping up to be another blockbuster.

The appeal and relevance of film continues to expand and evolve, providing ever-growing opportunities for brands to meaningfully connect with demographically diverse audiences at scale - and to do so in a uniquely immersive, distraction-free environment proven to be the most trusted and memorable for brand messages.

Guy Burbidge is managing director, Val Morgan Cinema. 

(1) Source: CineTAM Live
(2) Source: CineTAM Live
(3) Source: CIneTAM Live
(4) Source: Kantar Millward Brown - Ad Reaction

Have something to say on this? Share your views in the comments section below. Or if you have a news story or tip-off, drop us a line at adnews@yaffa.com.au

Sign up to the AdNews newsletter, like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter for breaking stories and campaigns throughout the day.

comments powered by Disqus