Latest Survey Results: Let's Make it a Movie Night Summary

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Report on Let's Make it a Movie Night

Smart girls decide for themselves™.

Who Are Our Movie-Goers?

SmartGirl posted this survey back in May, and we asked you all kinds of questions about movies - what you like about them, what you don't like about them and what your movie watching habits are. Many of you submitted your opinions - 313, to be exact. Of those, 299 were girls and 7 were boys, and most of you were between the ages of 12 and 14. Surprisingly, our respondents were overwhelmingly the oldest children in their families, and most of you live in a town. Big cities and suburbs were also popular responses. But where in the world are you living? We had respondents from Albania, Colombia, Mexico, Scotland, England, Canada, the United States, Vietnam, Kuwait, Ireland, Pakistan and more! Finally, the majority of you identified yourselves as of European descent (98), but we also had many identify as of African descent (32), Asian descent (22), Latin American descent (25), Middle Eastern descent (6), Native American descent (12), Oceania and Pacific Islander descent (10) and multiracial descent (39). Now that we know who are you, let's see what you had to say!

How Many Movies?

To get a feel for your movie watching habits, we thought we'd start with some basics. Namely, how often are you watching movies? These questions focus on that.

How many movies do you watch in the average week (including TV, DVD/VHS, cinema)?

The largest number of respondents said that they watch 1 to 2 movies per week, but many indicated that they watch more than that.

How many movies do you rent (like borrowing a movie from a library or a store) per month?

I'm sensing a pattern! Again, the largest number of SmartGirls told us they rent 1 to 2 movies per month, though a significant number indicated that they do not rent any movies per month.

How many times per month do you go to the movies?

And the pattern continues! The most respondents go to the movies once or twice a month.

When/What/Where/Why?

Okay, now let's head to some more specifics - the four w's to be exact. When are you watching, what do you like to eat, where are you watching and why do you choose the movies you do? Let's break this down:

What time of day do you like watching movies?

It's overwhelming! 165 of you said you prefer to watch at night.

Only 17 of you indicated that you like tuning in to your movie of choice in the afternoon.

And only 3 of you told us you like watching in the morning.

Finally, 126 of you didn't really have a specific preference. You like watching movies anytime!

On to the really important stuff - what you're munching on while you're movie-going!

What do you like to eat while watching a movie?

	count	percent
eat	count	percent
nothing	10	3.22
fruit	10	3.22
sandwich	2	0.64
popcorn	61	19.61
junkfood	83	26.69
dinner	3	0.96
icecream	13	4.18
anything	123	39.55
None	6	1.93

While many of you said that you'll eat anything while watching your favorite flick, a good number also chose popcorn and junk food.

Sounds delicious. Now we know when you're watching and what you favorite movie eats are, but where do you prefer to screen your flicks? We asked, "Out of the following, where is your favorite place to watch a movie?" and here's what we found out. The largest number of respondents (115) like to watch in a big movie theater. After that, at home was the next most popular answer (83 people chose that), and next up was in your room (41 respondents). 38 of you told us you like to watch movies at a friend's house, 16 of you like heading to the drive-in and 14 of you prefer watching in a small movie theater. Finally, two people like watching at school best, and 2 others prefer to watch on a computer.

Why do you watch movies?

258 said to be entertained.

197 watch for a laugh.

178 said to relax.

143 told us to be with friends.

112 watch for a scare.

108 go to the movies to get out.

102 watch to be with family.

101 told us to have something to talk about.

85 watch for an escape.

70 said to be with their boyfriend or girlfriend.

57 watch to get some alone time.

47 told us they watch movies to eat the popcorn.

21 watch to write their own reviews.

1 person said for the soundtrack.

8 people chose other options.

So now we know why you decide to kick back with a movie, but what makes you choose the movies you choose to watch? Our next question gets to the bottom of that and wraps up this section.

What influences your decision to see a particular movie?

	count	percent
influences	count	percent
trailer	144	47.37
critics	14	4.61
recommend	46	15.13
assignment	1	0.33
newspaper	1	0.33
plot	28	9.21
cast	35	11.51
location	2	0.66
other	33	10.86

This graph shows that the trailer most influences SmartGirls' decision to see a movie.

Film Flirtation?

If you look back up to the previous section, you'll see that only 70 people said they watch movies to spend time with a boyfriend or girlfriend, but our next question shows that many SmartGirls actually see going to the movies as a romantic hotspot. We asked if you think the movie theater is a great place for a date. Check out this bar graph to see how you responded.

The movie theater is a great place for a date.

The majority of you think the movie theater is a good place to take your date!

Picture Preferences

So what do you like in a movie? What makes a movie unforgettable, fantastic and something you'll rave about to your friends? In this section, we'll explore what you think movies should have or should be.

For starters, when you say a movie is good, what does that mean? What are the qualities of a good movie? We gave you the prompt, "A good movie has..." and asked you to decide. Let's take a look at the list. The largest number of you (212) said that a good movie has a great storyline or plot, while 188 of you said a good movie has comedy. Others of you prefer romance (164), popular actors/actresses in the cast (136), mystery (135), a happy ending (128), adventure (116) and action (107). Still others of you like to see people your own age (95), good guys vs. bad guys in the plot (88), phenomenal special effects (82), horror (80), singing (76) and dancing (76). It looks like the gruesome aspects of film don't appeal to you too much. Only 53 of you indicated that you think a good movie should have violence (53), death (50), crime (48), or blood (41). Switching gears a little bit, 36 of you like a movie with animals in it. Only 3 people like a movie with some sad parts, another 3 like a movie with hot actors or actresses, 2 are on the lookout for movies with good soundtracks, 2 are looking for a movie with good writing, 1 person wants a movie that makes you think and another 1 likes a movie with a moral or a message. Finally, 19 people chose other answers.

Now that we know what you like in a movie, let's see what sort of settings you prefer. Do you like movies set in your own country? In space? In the future? Take a gander at the graph below to see where SmartGirls think movies should take place.

I like movies that take place:

Many of you have different preferences for movie settings.

Now that we know what captures your attention when it comes to the big screen, how long can your attention be held? We wanted to know how long you think a movie should be. Here's what you told us:

2 of you think the perfect movie is less than one hour in length.

14 of you like movies that are 1 hour or more but less than 1 hour and 1/2.

118 of you prefer movies that are 1 and 1/2 hours or more but less than 2 hours.

103 of you go for movies that are 2 hours or more but less than 2 1/2 hours.

48 of you enjoy movies that are 2 and 1/2 hours or more but less than 3 hours.

And 17 of you like the really long ones - 3 hours or more!

Finally, how do you feel about movies with morals? Before, only one person indicated that they think a good movie always has a moral (a lesson to be learned from the movie), but the chart below indicates that more of you may be drawn to movies with morals than we previously thought. Take a look:

I think movies should have a moral (like a lesson that is learned) to the story.

The majority of you were pretty neutral on this one!

Film Favorites

And for our last section, your favorites! From movie type to actors and actresses, you all have pretty different opinions. This part of the report will show you how differing those opinions really are! To start, let's take a look at movie type. What types of movies are you into? Which types could you do without? The following two charts outline by genre how you feel.

What is your favorite kind of movie?

	count	percent
favmovie	count	percent
3D	4	1.29
action	13	4.21
animated	1	0.32
comedy	87	28.16
crime	2	0.65
fantasy	7	2.27
foreignlang	4	1.29
horror	43	13.92
musical	13	4.21
romance	47	15.21
science	3	0.97
sports	3	0.97
war	1	0.32
none	7	2.27
anything	74	23.95

Comedy seems pretty popular, though your movie type preferences are all over the board.

What type of movie is your least favorite?

	count	percent
leastfav	count	percent
3D	8	2.59
action	6	1.94
animated	5	1.62
blackwhite	36	11.65
comedy	3	0.97
crime	1	0.32
fantasy	8	2.59
foreignlang	28	9.06
historical	16	5.18
horror	42	13.59
musical	8	2.59
romance	9	2.91
science	19	6.15
shorts	3	0.97
sports	21	6.8
war	27	8.74
western	45	14.56
dislikeall	2	0.65
likeall	22	7.12

Horror and Westerns top out the list of your least favorites, but not by much!

So what movie is your favorite? We got so many different answers to this question. I'll outline some of the top choices, then give you a sampling of what other SmartGirls filled in.
Top Choices
Pirates of the Caribbean took the cake on this one, with High School Musical also pretty popular. Though a significant number of you also indicated that you couldn't choose a favorite movie if you had to!
Other Choices
The list had many, many movies on it, including Harry Potter, Titanic, Raise Your Voice, Stomp the Yard, Step Up, The Notebook, old Disney movies, James Bond, Star Wars, Breakfast at Tiffany's, The Sound of Music, and New York Minute.

Beyond favorite movies, who are you favorite actors and actresses? The chart below gives a sampling of those leading ladies and men you chose.

My favorite actor/actress is:

	count	percent
favactor	count	percent
Don't have one	22	13.84
Keira Kinghtley	3	1.89
Orlando Bloom	22	13.84
Johnny Depp	20	12.58
Angelina Jolie	7	4.4
Hilary Duff	8	5.03
Julia Roberts	4	2.52
Will Smith	5	3.14
Ashley Tisdale	7	4.4
Emma Watson	7	4.4
Miley Cyrus	6	3.77
Reese Witherspoon	3	1.89
Jim Carrey	4	2.52
Hayden Panettiere	2	1.26
Shia LaBeouf	4	2.52
Leonardo DiCaprio	3	1.89
Dakota Fanning	3	1.89
Lindsay Lohan	3	1.89
Channing Tatum	2	1.26
Zac Efron	3	1.89
Rachel McAdams	2	1.26
Brad Pitt	1	0.63
Nicole Kidman	1	0.63
Alexis Bledel	3	1.89
Jamie Lynn Spears	2	1.26
Corbin Bleu	4	2.52
Gabrielle Union	2	1.26
Columbus Short	2	1.26
Chris Brown	4	2.52

Orlando Bloom seems to be a pretty popular guy with SmartGirls!

However, if you couldn't see your favorite actor or actress in a movie, who else would you like to see cast? You told us:

That you'd like to see yourself (157).

That you'd like to see your best friend (37).

That you'd like to see a family member (27).

That you'd like to see your boyfriend or girlfriend (25).

That you'd like to see a pet (13).

That you'd like to see one of your teachers (11).

That you'd like to see Michael Jackson (11).

That you'd like to see your favorite cartoon character (7).

That you'd like to see the pope (6).

That you'd like to see Ronald McDonald (5).

That you'd like to see the president of the United States (3).

Hello, Ms. Director!

Finally, let's put you into the director's seat. If you were the director of a movie, what would your movie be about? Who would you choose as the cast? What would be the setting (where the movie takes place) of the movie? Here's a sampling of what SmartGirls would do:

~ "It would be about the future (like an epidemic that might happen, anything that's possible really). I would probably have people who are really serious and sophisticated and aren't known for wrong doing. I would probably set it in New York because I just absolutely love New York."
~ "I love the Gregor the Overlander books, and I think they would make awesome movies. I would try to stay true to the books, although I would have to tone down the violence somewhat, because the books are very violent. It's about a kid from New York City who falls down a laundry vent into the Underland, where there are giant talking rats, roaches, and bats. It's like a dark version of Alice in Wonderland. I would pick Jeremy Irons to be the voice of Ripred, a six-foot, smart-aleck, ferocious rat. The movie would be live action, with all the animals done in CGI. I think the books would make great books, because each one has a very clever and engaging plot. Suzanne Collins, the author, would write the screenplay of course, because she's a TV writer anyway."
~ "I would make a movie about present day kids lost at sea. I would have all of my classmates act in it. The setting would probably be in the Caribbean."
~ "If I was the director of my movie I would make it probably in Fiji or Hawaii. And my cast would be like Orlando Bloom for the main guy and me for the main girl. The setting would be for the guy to find romance and when he ses the main girl in the movie, he falls madly in love and they get married. My movie would be about romance."
~ "My movie would be about a simple theme, like staying true to yourself or love or loss, presented in a beautiful way. Maybe just in modern times, with the unspectacular setting making the simple and beautiful story [something that seems unimportant in the large scheme of things, but is so vast once you care about it] show itself in an unpretentious and quiet way. I would cast actors that suited the roles-- preferably unknowns, but I know that studio executives wouldn't really care for that, so just whatever actors and actresses suited the roles best."
~ "My movie would be about the adventures of a girl named Sally and a boy named Brian who both fall into a puddle of acid rain. Sally soon finds out she has super strength, suberb hearing and sight, and other powers that she has yet to discovered. Yet Brian has been turned into a talking horse with great logic and knowledge of machines. I would choose a red-haired 13 year old girl to play Sally and a brown-haired 13 year old boy to play Brian. Later on, Brian would just be virtual while the boy did voice-overs. The movie will take place in the present."
~ "If I were a director my movie would be about a young person trying to survive in a junior/ high school, kind of like a documentary. I wouldn't cast anyone famous, I would randomly choose a school to shoot at and look for our main character and follow her or him for about a month."

Thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts with us!

Please remember that all web-based polls are not scientific because the pollsters cannot randomly select the respondents to participate in the surveys.