MORE OLDER VIEWERS GOING TO MOVIES — BUT STUDIOS IGNORE THEM

Movie studios may be making a big mistake by overlooking older adults in their marketing and promotional campaigns, according to a study by Viacom Media Networks’ TV Land. The study noted that more adults in the 40-54 age group are going to movie theaters today than ten years ago and that they are heavily influenced by commercials for movies that they see on television. And while it is widely believed that older moviegoers generally avoid seeing a movie on opening weekend when lines are the longest and theaters are their noisiest, the new study indicates that more than two-thirds (68 percent) of adults in the 40-54 demo also prefer going to the theater on opening weekend. Moreover, the study said, older moviegoers are more than twice as likely as younger ones to spend more than $20 at the theaters.