GenDigital

Top Summer Movie Releases

As part of our April Immersion, we once again conducted our annual Summer Movie Preview with a thousand members of our teen and college panel who are regular movie theater visitors, that is they attend at least one movie per month on average. In the past, the Summer Movie Preview has been a solid indicator of planned attendance and for the most part over the past three waves, it's been spot on for the top 5.

For the '09 wave, panelists viewed trailers and read plot summaries/synopses for 41 releases (May-August). After viewing each trailer and reading the related summary, the panelist rated their planned attendance based on a 1 to 10 scale. Overall, we're seeing historically high levels of planned attendance so there is a good chance that even some of the films outside the top 15 can still pull in $75 to $100 million this summer just from teens and college students alone. Here's a quick look at the top performers in terms of planned attendance.

1. Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen

2. Bruno

3. The Hangover

4. Land of the Lost

5. Funny People

6. G.I. Joe

7. Angels & Demons

8. Star Trek

9. Harry Potter

10. Terminator Salvation/I Love You Beth Cooper (tie)

A Subdued Mother's Day

Mother's Day is just a few short days away and our leading indicators, based on our April '09 immersion, suggest that Mom's around the country will be receiving a lot more hugs and kisses than big presents from their teen and college aged children. That said, the majority of teens and college students who took part in the monthly immersion still plan on purchasing (or have already purchased) a gift for Mom, the amount being earmarked (or already spent) is down sharply compared to a year ago.

Here's a quick look:

- Plan to purchase a gift for Mom: 71%, down from 86% last year

- Plan to spend $50 or less: 85%, up from 63%

- Plan to more than $50: 15%, down from 37%

- Top gift choices: flowers, beauty products, books, salon/spa gift cards, clothing and accessories, DVDs