Releasing this week, Paramount+’s newest comedy series offers a cleverly satirical look at the cutthroat world of competitive gaming. From the creators of American Vandal, the show is a mockumentary-style parody about a team of professional League of Legends esports competitors vying for their first championship–and all of the absurdities that go with it. Here’s what you need to know about Players:
What type of audience will Players bring to Paramount+?
A younger one. Unlike the streamer’s other recent successes (Mayor of Kingstown, Halo, The Offer, Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, The Game), viewers for its newest comedy will lean toward Gen Z, with 55% predicted to be under 30. We’re also predicting a heavily male audience (66%), even more so than similar gaming satire Mythic Quest (at 59% male).
What’s driving the comedy in this series?
Its unique milieu. The ultra-competitive world of pro gaming is ripe for satire, and the show centers the heightened POV of its extremely Eccentric Characters (119) and their comedically high-pressure, Difficult Workplace (119) to ratchet up the absurdity in every situation.
What’s the one most important aspect of the show from a ratings perspective?
Its group focus. The complex Team Dynamics (136) between the esports teammates and their shared sense of disappointment, frustration, and hope as they prepare for the championship tournament is Players’ top overall viewership driver. The interplay between the variously quirky personalities also creates a strong avenue for the series’ humor.
What will make the show bingeworthy?
The clash between new and old. When rising teen star Organizm is recruited to the pro gamers’ team, the situation sparks a Rivalry (126) and Power Struggle (138) with veteran icon Creamcheese, who refuses to share his limelight or his Stardom (117). Viewers will be hooked laughing at Creamcheese’s toddler-like tantrums and other juvenile attempts to thwart his own teammate.
What’s most likely to help Players push into a second season?
The sense of absurdly over-the-top competition. The show’s Sports Focus (152)–esports, that is–as well as the accompanying Ambition & Drive (131) and unchecked Competitiveness (136) of Creamcheese and his pro team create a driving engine that will help propel the story forward.
*Publicly released trailers for series are evaluated using Vault AI’s algorithms – utilizing our proprietary 120K+ story element database alongside ratings performance and other datasets – to identify unique combinations of stories, themes, characters, and genre elements that will drive success.
Vault AI uses index scores to describe the impact a given story/theme/element will have on specific KPIs:
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Based in Los Angeles and Israel, Vault AI is using a combination of machine learning and consumer insights experts to help the entertainment industry predict consumer response to content. Test your content faster and more accurately with Vault AI and get granular insights across the entire content life cycle today.
In the age of peak content, the media and entertainment industry faces new challenges after years of expansion. The streaming boom is slowly turning into a battle of customer retention while linear TV continues to lose viewers, and audiences are slowly returning to movie theaters in the midst of the ongoing pandemic. In the midst of this change, we are now faced with the reality of inflationary pressures and a potential recession, exacerbating the challenges of competition and subscriber fatigue. In the face of these challenges, the value of “hit” content has never been higher. Given these changes, now is the time for content creators and marketers to gain a competitive edge by making their content and research strategies more nimble, scalable, and reliable via AI-powered Consumer Insights.
AI-powered Consumer Insights encompasses respondent-free research techniques that offer media and entertainment executives a faster, more accurate and more secure approach to consumer insights than current survey and focus group methodologies. By using AI to understand consumer behaviors and taste preference, issues related to sample size and data quality are eliminated, global insights are more timely, and research findings can evolve in real-time as the competitive landscape changes and new viewership patterns emerge.
With total content spend reaching over $140bn in 2022 (Variety), top studios and streamers require more thorough and complex research to identify prospective “hits” and optimize creative and marketing strategies. This mass-production of content and proliferation of direct to consumer streaming platforms has led to unprecedented levels of competition in the US, causing many media and entertainment outlets to lean heavily on international markets to sustain growth. Fortunately, Artificial Intelligence is particularly well suited to utilize Big Data to understand the competitive global content landscape, audience tastes, and drivers of viewership. AI empowers the media and entertainment sector with the Consumer Insights needed to thrive in today’s uncertain marketplace.
A comparison of content costs among streaming competitors. (Variety)
To be sure, survey and focus group research continues to play a critical role in helping the media and entertainment sector understand the opinions and thoughts of certain audiences. However, this article articulates the benefits of embracing AI-powered Consumer Insights as part of the research process to optimize ongoing and future content investment and marketing strategies.
The Flaws of Traditional Consumer Research
Aging methodologies underpin much of the status quo for consumer research. These traditional consumer insights rely on respondent-based methodologies like focus groups, panels, and surveys. These traditional methods help identify the decision making and experience behind peoples’ recent behaviors, but are less powerful when predicting future behaviors. The glaring failures of political polling in recent times are evidence of this.
While there have been some technological advancements in traditional research methods, namely fraud response detection and mobile survey samples, these haven’t addressed the fundamental issues of sample size, extrapolation, and reliability.
“Entertainment companies continue to use traditional respondent research despite fundamental issues.”
Sample Bias and Accuracy Issues
Insights based on traditional consumer research are only as good as the respondent data collected. Experts question if surveys and focus groups can consistently collect high-quality data. Studies show that 90% of researchers need to improve panel quality control (i.e., removing bots and problem respondents from their panel). Over 40% of respondents claim familiarity with fake brands, demonstrating the challenges in trusting respondent feedback at face value (Grey Matter Research). Long surveys are another issue impacting data quality. Survey lengths increase to gather more meaningful insight, often taking thirty minutes or more to complete, resulting in respondent fatigue, non-response bias and diminishing data quality.
Small Sample Size
The small sample sizes of traditional methods are often a source of frustration for the entertainment market. Yet, with no clear alternative, and tight budgets to meet, respondent surveys are deployed with samples as small as 300-1,000 respondents. As a result, the risk factor of extrapolating these findings to the broader population in an increasingly complex market is high, diminishing the entertainment industry’s ability to make critical business decisions with a high degree of confidence.
Slow and Labor Intensive Process
Aside from data quality and sample size issues, collecting respondent feedback is inefficient. Positioning studies for entertainment content often take six weeks, not including planning time. More significant global genre and landscape studies often take months. As a result, insights are often weeks old by the time they arrive. In a competitive market with rapid releases, this turnaround is suboptimal.
Static Results
Finally, data collected in respondent studies do not reflect changes in consumer behavior that emerge after the study is completed. To monitor trends over time or dig deeper into nuances discovered during research, the entire survey or focus group process must start again from the beginning — the antithesis of scalability.
Despite these fundamental issues, most entertainment companies continue to use traditional respondent research as their primary methodology. Fortunately, there is another way to make decisions that drive business outcomes.
A New Dawn: AI-powered Consumer Insights
Predictive, data-driven audience research provides decision-makers with insights based on population-level viewership behaviors rather than respondent opinions. As a pioneer in this space, Vault AI’s approach uses a proprietary combination of AI and consumer insights talent to identify the core story themes and character profiles present in the content. Machine learning then identifies the story elements that drive viewership based on actual in-market performance data (e.g. box office, live viewership, number of hours streamed).
“AI-powered insights are based on actual behavioral data, not stated responses from respondents.”
This approach was designed to deliver consumer insights in a way that directly addressed the limitations of traditional respondent-based consumer research in the entertainment market.
Eliminating Sample Bias and Small Sample Sizes
AI-powered insights are based on actual behavioral data, not stated responses from respondents, eliminating the issues in sample quality, respondent bias, leading questions, and small sample extrapolation. All of this is made possible by using AI and Big Data to understand the actual viewing behaviors of entire populations, rather than collecting feedback from a small portion of the population to extrapolate to a larger group.
Faster Turnaround Time & Dynamic Results
By eliminating the time needed for respondent recruitment and study administration, AI analysis can deliver actionable consumer insights within 24 hours. Unlocking the ability to deliver insights early enough for implementation and with enough time to support rapid iteration and follow-up studies. As production unfolds and as release approaches, insights can be rapidly updated to reflect the evolving creative and marketing materials and competitive release landscape.
Vault AI’s approach alleviates the core limitations of traditional research.
Why Now?
The trends of globalization and multimodal distribution in the media sector (e.g., releasing on both linear TV and streaming) coupled with increasing market competition and challenging economics make AI-powered Consumer Insights well suited to the current and future needs of content creators, marketers, distributors, and researchers.
One World, Many Markets
The media and entertainment industry is increasingly international. Global OTT revenue is projected to rise from $135B in 2021 to $224B by 2027 as streaming services produce and distribute content on an increasingly global basis to sustain growth (Digital TV News). However, the traditional respondent-based research techniques used to inform these production, distribution and expansion strategies offer few synergies and limited economies of scale, making them suboptimal for the consumer research needs of today’s competitive global entertainment landscape. Conversely, the speed and reliability of AI-powered Consumer Insights methodologies become an increasingly compelling value-add when applied on a global basis.
A Hit is a Hit in Any Language
The availability of and appetite for foreign language content has increased across the globe. In the US, 2020 Oscars champion Parasite and recent box office breakout Everything Everywhere All at Once are not in English, while streaming hits Squid Game, Money Heist, and Lupin are all imports (CNET).
Globalized content is more than just the US importing and exporting content – Squid Game was at one point the top show in 90 countries (Forbes). AI is language-agnostic and can understand viewership based on population-level engagement data in any country. The advantages of predictive insights, including turnaround time, are particularly game-changing as the number of titles and countries researched increases.
Multimodal Distribution
Another critical trend impacting consumer research in the entertainment industry is the increase in multimodal distribution — namely, releasing content in multiple distribution formats (e.g. linear and digital). Distribution decisions add complexity to content and marketing strategies. AI-powered consumer insights have an advantage over traditional and proprietary 1st party subscriber-specific datasets by representing audience behavior holistically across all modes of distribution.
Viewership is increasingly fractured and difficult to capture. (FierceTV)
The rise of multimodal distribution has prompted new research questions. Instead of asking: “Will this attract a live audience at home or in theaters?” audience research today strives to answer: “How can this content create the greatest lifetime value across all our modes of distribution?” AI and Big Data-driven analysis provide a methodologically robust view of audience consumption and a means for predicting the value of content in any release format.
AI-powered Insights Yield Impactful Results
Traditional consumer insights methodologies were designed for simpler times. Surveys remain great for understanding why a group of people took specific actions. However, AI is more powerful as a strategic ally for predicting the performance of unreleased content and optimizing release strategies to maximize commercial success and navigate significant market turbulence.
Content, audience and distribution decisions pose complex questions, exasperating the fundamental shortcomings of traditional research. In contrast, Vault AI’s proprietary combination of data, AI and consumer insights experts evaluates consumer viewing patterns holistically across all types of distribution and consumption, providing faster and more accurate insights aligned with the needs of today’s media and entertainment industry.
Continue the conversation about what AI-powered consumer insights can do for you: etitelman@vault-ai.com
Or register your interest for our upcoming webinar on this topic
— About Vault AI
Vault AI delivers AI-powered consumer insights for leading streamers, TV networks and film studios. Our proprietary mix of performance datasets, machine learning, and consumer insights professionals brings you powerful insights with the highest accuracy and fastest turnaround time. Without needing a single survey or focus group, we help you make better production, development and marketing decisions for your content at scale.
Releasing in mid-June, Starz’s upcoming new Renaissance period drama points the spotlight at the girl who would be queen–England’s Queen Elizabeth The First. The series tracks Elizabeth’s life after the death of father Henry VIII as she fights for the crown and becomes embroiled in all the court scandals of her day. Here’s what you need to know about Becoming Elizabeth:
What audience will be most interested in the series?
Older women. Viewers will be mostly female (56%) and heavily older (91% aged 35+), with a full third falling into the F55+ group. This demographic split mirrors similar female-led royal period dramas Reign and Victoria, but Versailles (which followed a young Louis XIV of France) attracted relatively more men.
How important is the show’s portrayal of real-life history?
Very. The fact that the show is Based on Historical Events (123) and full of depictions of true-to-life Political Manipulations (115) is key driver for ratings and lifts the degree to which it’s perceived as a Biography (120) and History (117) series.
What about this series will make for a fresh historical retelling?
Its focus on Elizabeth’s teen years. While many previous projects have explored the reign of Elizabeth I, Becoming Elizabeth concentrates on her Coming of Age (113) story, her Inner Conflict (125) around a potential claim to the throne, and the heightened adolescent trials and experiences that ultimately forged the future ruler of England’s Golden Age.
What element lies at the heart of this story? Family Conflict (128). The court intrigue is heightened by the fact that the games are being played around and amongst siblings. The three children of Henry VIII–young and sickly Edward, domineering Mary, and stubborn Elizabeth–become both agents and pawns of manipulation, and their tumultuous Sibling Rivalry (126) will be a key viewership driver for the series.
How will the royalty of it all contribute to the show’s success?
It will help with longevity. As with The Crown, Reign, and The Great before it, Becoming Elizabeth’s focus on Royalty (114)–in this case, the English monarchy–will feed viewers’ obsession with the lives of kings and queens and offer a compelling reason for them to keep coming back.
What emotional experience will keep viewers glued to their seats?
The whiplash of a high-stakes adolescence. As Elizabeth both tangles with scheming relatives and feels the first blooms of romance–all while fighting accusations of treason and rebellion, punishable by death–her emotions seesaw from Love (113) to Anger (113), providing a rollercoaster viewing experience that will offer fodder for many seasons to come.
*Publicly released trailers for series are evaluated using Vault AI’s algorithms – utilizing our proprietary 120K+ story element database alongside ratings performance and other datasets – to identify unique combinations of stories, themes, characters, and genre elements that will drive success.
Vault AI uses index scores to describe the impact a given story/theme/element will have on specific KPIs:
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Based in Los Angeles and Israel, Vault AI is using a combination of machine learning and consumer insights experts to help the entertainment industry predict consumer response to content. Test your content faster and more accurately with Vault AI and get granular insights across the entire content life cycle today.
Releasing this weekend, Hulu’s newest original film is a witty queer rom-com offering a modern twist on the Jane Austen classic Pride and Prejudice. Following a group of friends on vacation in the historic LGBTQ+ locale of Fire Island, the story celebrates both cultural and sexual diversity, while highlighting the importance of family. Here’s what you need to know about Fire Island:
Who will be the film’s biggest fans?
<35s. While the viewing audience is projected to skew female (53%), male and female viewers 18-34 (92) are predicted to have the most connection to the film’s themes and characters. That said, the story’s appeal is quite broad, even more so than Hulu’s Love, Victor (67% female), and many elements have the potential to expand the target if word of mouth takes off.
What’s its most compelling story hook?
A tight-knit group of friends on a wild and crazy vacation. The story centers on a Crazy Guys Vacation (160) filled with rowdy, Hangover-style comedy alongside doses of drama and romance. Even more, this particular Chosen Family (128) of affectionately sarcastic gay BFFs is important to both men and women.
How important is Fire Island’s diverse casting?
Crucial. The movie’s welcome inclusion of ethnic, sexual, and cultural Diversity (141) among the Asian-American characters is a major draw that underlines the importance of both non-white representation and queer love stories. Importantly, this gives Fire Island a refreshing take on the ‘boys’ trip’ theme.
Where does the love story fit in?
It’s supportive. While not a leading theme, the film’s exploration of LGBTQIA+ Romance (98) is a particular draw for younger women <35. However, even more intriguing are themes borrowed from Pride and Prejudice, such as the Social Class Conflict (111) between Fire Island’s versions of Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy (and their associated cliques).
*Publicly released trailers for widely released films are evaluated using Vault AI’s algorithms – utilizing our proprietary 120K+ story element database alongside historical box office performance and other datasets – to identify unique combinations of stories, themes, characters, and genre elements that will drive opening weekend success.
Vault AI uses index scores to describe the impact a given story/theme/element will have on opening weekend success:
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About Vault AI
Based in Los Angeles and Israel, Vault AI is using a combination of machine learning and consumer insights experts to help the entertainment industry predict consumer response to content. Test your content faster and more accurately with Vault AI and get granular insights across the entire content life cycle today.
After two seasons on broadcast, creator Seth MacFarlane and the FOX network jointly collaborated to morph the popular live-action space comedy into a streaming-only Hulu Original. The show’s upcoming third season reunites the same cast and crew for another round of epic adventures, but this time ramps up the storytelling to take advantage of the additional flexibility offered by streaming. Here’s what you need to know about The Orville: New Horizons:
How will The Orville’s audience shift in the move from FOX to Hulu exclusive?
It will trend younger and even more male. Audience predictions show a transition to 66% male/34% <30 viewership from the series’ original linear broadcast predictions of 57% male and 18% <35.
Are viewers excited about its transition to streaming?
Somewhat. The release of the new S3 trailer–which highlighted the show’s action-adventure side, in contrast to S1’s comedy-first positioning–did cause a spike in online activity (114), but social tracking has been a bit sluggish since then. However, there is still time for the metric to jump ahead of its June 2 premiere.
What story concepts worked well for the first season of The Orville?
The comedy and its motley crew. Viewers loved the show’s Satirical Humor (132) that lovingly parodies the sci-fi genre as well as the Co-Worker Relationships (143) and Unlikely Friendships (137) formed between the disparate individuals running The Orville, with Seth MacFarlane’s charismatic Captain Mercer Leading the Way (152).
What emotional hook best inspired the early buzz about the show?
The crew’s emerging bonds. The Admiration (136) and Trust (131) they developed throughout the season, both for each other and particularly for Captain Mercer’s leadership, were closely linked to S1’s social buzz.
Which aspect of the show will best take advantage of its new streaming home?
Its Distinctly Realized World (148). The unique, futuristic, fleshed-out universe in which The Orville takes place is the #1 driver for its bingeability and could help onboard new viewers to the series. The characteristic worlds of Star Trek and Star Wars play a similar role for the most recent shows within those franchises (Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, Obi-Wan Kenobi).
*Publicly released trailers for series are evaluated using Vault AI’s algorithms – utilizing our proprietary 120K+ story element database alongside ratings performance and other datasets – to identify unique combinations of stories, themes, characters, and genre elements that will drive success.
Vault AI uses index scores to describe the impact a given story/theme/element will have on specific KPIs:
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Based in Los Angeles and Israel, Vault AI is using a combination of machine learning and consumer insights experts to help the entertainment industry predict consumer response to content. Test your content faster and more accurately with Vault AI and get granular insights across the entire content life cycle today.
Hot on the heels of The Book of Boba Fett, Disney+ is premiering another gripping new limited series within the Star Wars franchise. Ewan McGregor and Hayden Christensen reprise their roles from the early 2000s film prequels in a story designed to fill in the 19-year blank between Episode III’s Revenge of the Sith and Episode IV’s A New Hope. Here’s what you need to know about Obi-Wan Kenobi:
What type of audience will Obi-Wan Kenobi attract?
Older men. Viewership for the new show is predicted to be 62% male and 63% aged 30+, aligning closely with the streamer’s other recent franchise spin-offs (The Mandalorian, The Book of Boba Fett) but decidedly more male-skewing than its non-Star Wars offerings.
How high is fan anticipation for the show?
Through the roof. The release of the teaser and full-length trailers resulted in a big spike in social tracking, and online activity surrounding the series has been increasing steadily since early May (and will undoubtedly surge ahead of its May 27 premiere). Fans clearly want to spend more time with the beloved titular character.
How will its Star Wars connections impact the viewing experience?
They’ll make the show eminently bingeworthy. The cherished tenets of this sci-fi franchise–the broader, fully-realized Star Wars Universe (140) full of Human/Non-Human Relationships (124), the promise of infinite possibilities in its Space Setting (133), and the intricate galactic threads of its Distinctly Realized World (127)–will keep viewers glued to their seats. In spite of their fan rivalry, both the Star Wars and Star Trek recent spin-offs are buoyed by similar viewership drivers.
What sets Obi-Wan Kenobi apart from the other recent Star Wars series?
An unambiguous hero. Where The Mandalorian and Boba Fett are anchored by a mysterious masked entity and a clear antihero, respectively, Obi-Wan follows a character long-established as a bright spot in the galaxy’s enduring battle of Good vs. Evil (121). Both the fact that he’s Being Hunted (128) by the Empire and his accompanying Journey of Self-Discovery (112) after losing a young charge (Anakin Skywalker) to the Dark Side are top ratings drivers.
What type of emotional experience can viewers expect from Obi-Wan Kenobi?
An intense one. Anakin’s transformation into Darth Vader and his relentless pursuit of his former Jedi teacher will surface negative emotions like Loathing (117) and Terror (116), both which will drive ratings. In this respect, the new series falls more in line with Boba Fett (driven by Surprise and Terror) than The Mandalorian, whose feel-good Baby Yoda brings up feelings of Love and Awe.
*Publicly released trailers for series are evaluated using Vault AI’s algorithms – utilizing our proprietary 120K+ story element database alongside ratings performance and other datasets – to identify unique combinations of stories, themes, characters, and genre elements that will drive success.
Vault AI uses index scores to describe the impact a given story/theme/element will have on specific KPIs:
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Based in Los Angeles and Israel, Vault AI is using a combination of machine learning and consumer insights experts to help the entertainment industry predict consumer response to content. Test your content faster and more accurately with Vault AI and get granular insights across the entire content life cycle today.
Arriving on Disney+ this weekend is the live-action/animated hybrid Chip ‘n Dale: Rescue Rangers. This fresh interpretation from the Lonely Island crew – Andy Samberg, Akiva Schaffer and Jorma Taccone – takes Hollywood’s reboot culture head-on by reviving the popular 1990’s cartoon. Here’s what you need to know about Chip ‘n Dale: Rescue Rangers:
Who will be watching?
The core viewing audience will be households with parents and kids under 12 (138), though there are strong signals 18-44 year old adults (130)can expand beyond families. That said, parents and kids will likely comprise the majority of the viewing audience.
Do families and general audiences share similar reasons for watching?
They share many of the same interest drivers, though the degree to which nostalgia plays a role differentiates kids from their parents and other adults. The Cartoon Comedy (127)blends buddy comedy banter that adults like with fun slapstick for kids, though the familiarity of the classic cartoon characters showcased strikes an especially strong chord with adults. Similarly, the Cartoon Rescue Action (123) adds thrills as the chipmunk duo search for missing cartoon characters, with adventure reminiscent of the Chip ‘n Dale cartoons parents watched as kids.
Is there a specific way the movie will appeal to parents?
The story of two Old Friends Reuniting (135) is an especially strong driver for parents of kids <12 . This story connects directly to the titular characters they know from their pasts, and offers lessons about the power of lasting friendships that parents will want their kids to learn.
What makes this reboot different?
The concept of a “True” Crime Hollywood Mystery (113) that treats the throw-back cartoon characters as former celebrities is a particularly distinct element. Given the popularity of the true crime genre, this adds a sense of relevance that also adds to appeal among 18-44 year olds.
*Publicly released trailers for widely released films are evaluated using Vault AI’s algorithms – utilizing our proprietary 120K+ story element database alongside historical box office performance and other datasets – to identify unique combinations of stories, themes, characters, and genre elements that will drive opening weekend success.
Vault AI uses index scores to describe the impact a given story/theme/element will have on opening weekend success:
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Get in touch to test your content faster and more accurately with Vault AI.
About Vault AI
Based in Los Angeles and Israel, Vault AI is using a combination of machine learning and consumer insights experts to help the entertainment industry predict consumer response to content. Test your content faster and more accurately with Vault AI and get granular insights across the entire content life cycle today.
Beloved novel turned film, The Time Traveler’s Wife, gets a fresh retelling in HBO’s newest series, starring Rose Leslie and Theo James. This time-travel-fueled romance blends the sci-fi with a deeply human love story, adding voice-over narration and documentary-style interviews to tell the tale. Here’s what you need to know about The Time Traveler’s Wife:
How does the show’s audience look?
Older, peaking among women 55+. The audience will be primarily older with 87% 35+, and 29% of total viewership predicted to be women 55+. That said, The Time Traveler’s Wife, much like fan-favorite Outlander, has key sci-fi elements which account for the decent male viewership prediction (46%), as opposed to more traditional romantic dramas such as With Love and Modern Love.
How does social tracking for The Time Traveler’s Wife measure up against other romantic drama series?
It’s slightly ahead of the pack. The Time Traveler’s Wife saw higher social tracking scores than The Pursuit of Love in its pre-premiere week, and was very much in line with And Just Like That, Conversations with Friends, and Emily in Paris just before its premiere.
How will the time travel element impact engagement?
It will keep viewers engaged week to week. Henry’s unexpected Time Travel (142) bursts paired with his non-linear Voice Over Narration (114) will compel viewers to binge and discover where and, more importantly, when the drama will occur.
How important is the original IP for this title?
Significant, but not everything. The fact that this series has previous IP (111) will compel fans of the originals to stick around, but it’s not crucial for bringing in new viewers.
What is the most important theme of the complex relationship represented?
Faith in one another is key. How Clare and Henry groundedly navigate their Marital Problems (118) amidst supernatural circumstances will drive ratings – with emotions of Trust (113) and Admiration (113) most essential to their dynamic.
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It was true before the pandemic and remains true today that horror movies are uniquely profitable ventures for Hollywood. However you define the genre, the business of selling a “live”, social experience with the promise of suspense and scares has proven resilient. The next few months continue the tradition of great horror/thriller options at the summer box office, beginning with this weekend’s Firestarter. Using the trailer as our stimulus, here’s what you need to know:
How impactful is the film’s association with Stephen King? Stephen King’s brand (124) will stoke the flame of interest for most ticket buyers, providing an in-going expectation of a quality story. King’s involvement is not only the top-ranking interest driver, but it is especially impactful with horror movie fans who are active online.
What else will be attracting horror fans to Firestarter?
The horrific consequences of Charlie’s Powers (116), the fear she instills in people, and the supernatural destruction she’s capable of exemplify the kind of big-screen thrills horror fans crave. Similarly, the fact that Charlie is increasingly Losing Control (113) of her fire-wielding abilities builds suspense for what will happen next.
What will draw broader audiences to theaters?
The Tug-of-War (111) for control over Charlie between her loving family and others who mean harm adds a relatable human angle for audiences looking for more than just scares. This conflict also poses thought-provoking questions concerning the morality of trying to control Charlie, and the horrifying unintended consequences of that decision.
What genres are audiences likely to perceive Firestarer as?
Given the various story elements at play, it’s not surprising that a distinctive feature of Firestarter is its unique genre mix. While our analysis classifies Firestarter first and foremost in the Horror Genre (133), it also contains elements strongly associated with SciFI (126), Thriller (123), Mystery (118), Fantasy (115), and Action (112) movies.
*Publicly released trailers for widely released films are evaluated using Vault AI’s algorithms – utilizing our proprietary 120K+ story element database alongside historical box office performance and other datasets – to identify unique combinations of stories, themes, characters, and genre elements that will drive opening weekend success.
Vault AI uses index scores to describe the impact a given story/theme/element will have on opening weekend success:
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The Star Trek franchise continues to live long and prosper with the launch of its newest iteration on Paramount+. A prequel to the 1960s original, this new show focuses on the USS Enterprise under Captain Pike (Captain Kirk’s predecessor) and is brighter, more optimistic, and less serialized than other recent spin-offs. Here’s what you need to know about Star Trek: Strange New Worlds:
How does the audience for this newest show compare to other recent live-action Star Trek spin-offs?
It’s just about identical. Strange New Worlds appeals to the very same viewer demographic that has been leaning into fellow Paramount+ series Picard and Discovery: older men (63% male / 68% aged 30+). (Animated offerings Prodigy and Lower Decks have a similar male skew but lean younger.)
What makes Strange New Worlds unique?
Its lighter tone. In contrast to the darker, grittier Picard and Discovery, this new show leads with positive emotions like Joy (122), Serenity (122), and Ecstasy (122) as well as an overall sense of Optimism (120) thanks to Captain Pike’s upbeat outlook on life. All are key ratings drivers for its first season.
How important are the ‘Strange New Worlds’ highlighted in the title?
Essential. The show’s fully fleshed-out, Distinctly Realized Worlds (132) are its top overall viewership driver, much more crucial here than for its streaming siblings (like Picard). Audiences are eager to explore the series’ lush, imaginative new planets.
What impact do the familiar Star Trek sci-fi elements have on the show?
They make it bingeable. The series’ futuristic Gizmos & Technology (130)(including the ubiquitous phasers, transporters, and warp drive) and advanced Space Travel (120) allow for the introduction of its compellingly strange new worlds. As with previous series, these hallmarks of the broader Star Trek Universe (115) keep viewers coming back for more.
What does this show have to offer the sci-fi hesitant?
Relatable character relationships. Its Enterprise boasts a plethora of Friendships (125) and Human/Non-Human Relationships (122) among its diverse crew and features strong heroes in search of Acceptance (122) and Social Contact (122). The series’ inclusion of these more socially-minded drivers can help to attract those wary of its colder sci-fi trappings.
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