CinemaScore
Encyclopedia
CinemaScore is a market research
firm based in Las Vegas
. It surveys film audiences to rate their viewing experiences with letter grades, reports the results, and forecasts box office
receipts based on the data.
. CinemaScore also conducts surveys to determine audience interest in renting films on video, breaking the demographic down by age and sex and passing along information to video companies like Fox Video Corporation.
CinemaScore pollster Dede Gilmore reported the trend in 1993, "Most movies get easily a B-plus. I think people come wanting the entertainment. They have high expectations. They're more lenient with their grades. But as (moviegoers) do it more and more, they get to be stronger critics." In 1993, films that were graded with an A included Scent of a Woman
, A Few Good Men
, and Falling Down
. Films graded with a B included Sommersby
and Untamed Heart
. A C-grade film for the year was Body of Evidence.
A website was launched by CinemaScore in 1999, after three years' delay in which the president sought sponsorship from magazines and video companies. Brad Peppard was president of CinemaScore Online from 1999 to 2002. The website included a database of nearly 2,000 feature films and the audiences' reactions to them. Prior to the launch, CinemaScore results had been published in Las Vegas Review-Journal
and Reno Gazette-Journal
. CinemaScore's expansion to the Internet included a weekly email subscription for cinephiles to keep up with reports of audience reactions. The website has since become defunct.
In 1999, CinemaScore was rating approximately 140 films a year, including 98-99% of major studio releases. For each film, employees polled 400-500 moviegoers in three of CinemaScore's 15 sites, which included the cities Las Vegas, Los Angeles
, San Diego, Denver, Milwaukee, St. Louis, Dallas, Atlanta, Tampa
, Phoenix
, and Coral Springs.
In the summer of 2002, CinemaScore reported that the season had the biggest collective grade since 1995. In the summer of 2000, 25 out of 32 films received either an A or B grade. 26 of the summer of 2001's 30 films got similar grades, while 32 of the summer of 2002's 34 films got similar grades, the latter being the highest ratio in a decade.
. Although the data is proprietary, the letter grades quickly spread widely throughout the industry and via media.
As opening-night audiences are presumably more enthusiastic about a film than ordinary patrons, a C grade from them "is bad news". According to Mintz, "Movies don't rate lower than a C. A C is a failure. And it's so rare that a movie is an F. I mean, if it's an F, it shouldn't even be released." Five films have earned the F grade, including George Clooney
's 2002 remake of Solaris
, and four horror thrillers: Ashley Judd
's Bug (2006), Wolf Creek
(2005), Darkness
(2002), and The Box (2009) with Cameron Diaz
.
CinemaScore's forecasts for box-office receipts based on the surveys are "surprisingly accurate" as "most of [the company's] picks . . . are in the ballpark", in 2009 correctly predicting the success of The Hangover
and the failure of Land of the Lost
.
Market research
Market research is any organized effort to gather information about markets or customers. It is a very important component of business strategy...
firm based in Las Vegas
Las Vegas, Nevada
Las Vegas is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and is also the county seat of Clark County, Nevada. Las Vegas is an internationally renowned major resort city for gambling, shopping, and fine dining. The city bills itself as The Entertainment Capital of the World, and is famous...
. It surveys film audiences to rate their viewing experiences with letter grades, reports the results, and forecasts box office
Box office
A box office is a place where tickets are sold to the public for admission to an event. Patrons may perform the transaction at a countertop, through an unblocked hole through a wall or window, or at a wicket....
receipts based on the data.
Background
CinemaScore was founded by Ed Mintz in 1982, and Mintz has presided over the company ever since. CinemaScore conducts surveys to audiences who have seen a film in theaters, asking them to rate the film and specifying what drew them to the film. Its results are published in the magazine Entertainment WeeklyEntertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly is an American magazine, published by the Time division of Time Warner, that covers film, television, music, broadway theatre, books and popular culture...
. CinemaScore also conducts surveys to determine audience interest in renting films on video, breaking the demographic down by age and sex and passing along information to video companies like Fox Video Corporation.
CinemaScore pollster Dede Gilmore reported the trend in 1993, "Most movies get easily a B-plus. I think people come wanting the entertainment. They have high expectations. They're more lenient with their grades. But as (moviegoers) do it more and more, they get to be stronger critics." In 1993, films that were graded with an A included Scent of a Woman
Scent of a Woman
This article is about the American film. For the Korean drama, see Scent of a Woman .Scent of a Woman is a 1992 drama film directed by Martin Brest that tells the story of a preparatory school student who takes a job as an assistant to an irascible, blind, medically retired Army officer...
, A Few Good Men
A Few Good Men (film)
A Few Good Men is a 1992 drama film directed by Rob Reiner and starring Tom Cruise, Jack Nicholson, and Demi Moore. It was adapted for the screen by Aaron Sorkin from his play of the same name. A courtroom drama, the film revolves around the trial of two U.S...
, and Falling Down
Falling Down
Falling Down is a 1993 crime-drama film directed by Joel Schumacher. The film stars Michael Douglas in the lead role of William Foster , a divorcee and unemployed former defense engineer...
. Films graded with a B included Sommersby
Sommersby
Sommersby is a 1993 romantic drama film directed by Jon Amiel and starring Richard Gere, Jodie Foster, Bill Pullman and James Earl Jones.Set in the Reconstruction period following the U.S...
and Untamed Heart
Untamed Heart
Untamed Heart is a 1993 film starring Christian Slater and Marisa Tomei. It mixes drama with romance and comedy and tells the story of a young woman, always unlucky in love, finally finding true love in a very shy young man. The film is directed by Tony Bill, and written by Tom Sierchio...
. A C-grade film for the year was Body of Evidence.
A website was launched by CinemaScore in 1999, after three years' delay in which the president sought sponsorship from magazines and video companies. Brad Peppard was president of CinemaScore Online from 1999 to 2002. The website included a database of nearly 2,000 feature films and the audiences' reactions to them. Prior to the launch, CinemaScore results had been published in Las Vegas Review-Journal
Las Vegas Review-Journal
The Las Vegas Review-Journal is published in Las Vegas, Nevada, United States. It is the largest circulating daily newspaper in Nevada, and one of two daily newspapers in Las Vegas . It is the flagship publication of Stephens Media LLC...
and Reno Gazette-Journal
Reno Gazette-Journal
The Reno Gazette-Journal is the main daily newspaper for Reno, Nevada. It came into being when the Nevada State Journal and the Reno Evening Gazette were combined in 1983...
. CinemaScore's expansion to the Internet included a weekly email subscription for cinephiles to keep up with reports of audience reactions. The website has since become defunct.
In 1999, CinemaScore was rating approximately 140 films a year, including 98-99% of major studio releases. For each film, employees polled 400-500 moviegoers in three of CinemaScore's 15 sites, which included the cities Las Vegas, Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
, San Diego, Denver, Milwaukee, St. Louis, Dallas, Atlanta, Tampa
Tâmpa
Tâmpa may refer to several villages in Romania:* Tâmpa, a village in Băcia Commune, Hunedoara County* Tâmpa, a village in Miercurea Nirajului, Mureş County* Tâmpa, a mountain in Braşov city...
, Phoenix
Phoenix, Arizona
Phoenix is the capital, and largest city, of the U.S. state of Arizona, as well as the sixth most populated city in the United States. Phoenix is home to 1,445,632 people according to the official 2010 U.S. Census Bureau data...
, and Coral Springs.
In the summer of 2002, CinemaScore reported that the season had the biggest collective grade since 1995. In the summer of 2000, 25 out of 32 films received either an A or B grade. 26 of the summer of 2001's 30 films got similar grades, while 32 of the summer of 2002's 34 films got similar grades, the latter being the highest ratio in a decade.
Rating
CinemaScore representatives in "25 major cities" give opening-day audiences a small survey card. The card asks for age, gender, a grade for the film between A+ and F, whether they would rent or buy the film on DVD or Blu-Ray, and why they chose the film. The ratings are divided by gender and age groups (under 21, 21-34, 35 and up); film studios and other subscribers receive the data at about 11 pm Pacific TimePacific Time Zone
The Pacific Time Zone observes standard time by subtracting eight hours from Coordinated Universal Time . The clock time in this zone is based on the mean solar time of the 120th meridian west of the Greenwich Observatory. During daylight saving time, its time offset is UTC-7.In the United States...
. Although the data is proprietary, the letter grades quickly spread widely throughout the industry and via media.
As opening-night audiences are presumably more enthusiastic about a film than ordinary patrons, a C grade from them "is bad news". According to Mintz, "Movies don't rate lower than a C. A C is a failure. And it's so rare that a movie is an F. I mean, if it's an F, it shouldn't even be released." Five films have earned the F grade, including George Clooney
George Clooney
George Timothy Clooney is an American actor, film director, producer, and screenwriter. For his work as an actor, he has received two Golden Globe Awards and an Academy Award...
's 2002 remake of Solaris
Solaris (2002 film)
Solaris is a 2002 science fiction film and psychological drama directed by Steven Soderbergh and starring George Clooney and Natascha McElhone...
, and four horror thrillers: Ashley Judd
Ashley Judd
Ashley Judd is an American television and film actress, who has played lead roles in films including Ruby in Paradise, Kiss the Girls, Double Jeopardy, Where the Heart Is and High Crimes...
's Bug (2006), Wolf Creek
Wolf Creek (film)
Wolf Creek is a 2005 independent Australian horror film written, co-produced and directed by Greg McLean. The story revolves around three backpackers who find themselves held captive by a serial killer in the Australian outback...
(2005), Darkness
Darkness (2002 film)
Darkness is a 2002 horror film directed by Jaume Balagueró about an American teenage girl who moves into a haunted house with her family in the Spanish countryside. The film stars Anna Paquin, Lena Olin, Iain Glen, and Fele Martínez....
(2002), and The Box (2009) with Cameron Diaz
Cameron Diaz
Cameron Michelle Diaz is an American actress and former model. She became famous during the 1990s with roles in the movies The Mask, My Best Friend's Wedding, and There's Something About Mary. Other high-profile credits include the two Charlie's Angels films, voicing the character Princess Fiona...
.
CinemaScore's forecasts for box-office receipts based on the surveys are "surprisingly accurate" as "most of [the company's] picks . . . are in the ballpark", in 2009 correctly predicting the success of The Hangover
The Hangover (film)
The Hangover is a 2009 American comedy film directed by Todd Phillips and written by Jon Lucas and Scott Moore. The film stars Bradley Cooper, Ed Helms, Zach Galifianakis, Heather Graham, Justin Bartha and Jeffrey Tambor...
and the failure of Land of the Lost
Land of the Lost (film)
Land of the Lost is a 2009 American science-fiction comedy film directed by Brad Silberling and starring Will Ferrell, Danny McBride and Anna Friel, based on the 1974 Sid and Marty Krofft TV series of the same name.-Plot:...
.