Critics Still Relevant As Moviegoers Take Buying Cues From Social Media: Nielsen

Yes, traditional critics have lost a lot of clout in an era where many young moviegoers take their ticket buying cues from friends and acquaintances on Facebook, Twitter, and other social media. But don’t count critics out yet Nielsen says today in its annual American Moviegoing report — being released just as studio execs and theater owners converge on Las Vegas for the annual CinemaCon convention.  Some 41% of Millennials look at critic ratings on sites including Rotten Tomatoes and IMDb, and about 80% of all moviegoers refer to reviews once in a while, before they decide to buy, Nielsen says. That may be cold comfort to critics: “As movie studios plan their marketing budgets for next year’s blockbuster movies, they should consider that most moviegoers are using social media to get their information,” says Nielsen National Research Group SVP Kathy Benjamin. “Taking advantage of the potential that social networks provide will be important to connect with their audiences.” About 40% of moviegoers say that they rely on recommendations they see on social media. Twitter appears to be especially important. About 55% of moviegoers who use the service regularly tweet about films. They’re 25% more likely than other social network users to head to the theater on a release’s opening weekend. And they see the most movies — about nine per year.