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Do consumer and expert reviews affect the length of time a film is kept on screens in the USA?

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  • Thaís L. D. Souza

    (Federal Institute of Paraná)

  • Marislei Nishijima

    (University of São Paulo)

  • Ana C. P. Fava

    (Federal University of ABC, Alameda da Universidade)

Abstract

We evaluate the effect of critical reviews by consumers and experts on a film’s running time at movie theaters in the USA using survival regression analysis. In addition to the usual expert critics’ reviews, we employ the consumer reviews rating and their affectivity about films as proxies for the consumer influence effect. To provide measures for consumer affectivity, we perform affective computing using mining techniques of sentiment and emotion on consumer reviews. We build a very rich film dataset by collecting information from the Box Office Mojo and the Rotten Tomatoes sites, including all matched films released between 2004 and 2015 that are available on these sites. We find evidences of consumer ratings matter in keeping a film running longer at the theaters, but experts’ ratings have a larger influence on the movie market as a whole. Estimates by genre indicate that the influence of expert reviews on the length of run of widely opening film releases, which include blockbusters, is null, but that their influence on narrowly released films is large. Also, film running times of genres like foreign, drama and action films are greatly influenced by sentiments and emotions spread by consumers through their reviews.

Suggested Citation

  • Thaís L. D. Souza & Marislei Nishijima & Ana C. P. Fava, 2019. "Do consumer and expert reviews affect the length of time a film is kept on screens in the USA?," Journal of Cultural Economics, Springer;The Association for Cultural Economics International, vol. 43(1), pages 145-171, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:kap:jculte:v:43:y:2019:i:1:d:10.1007_s10824-018-9332-6
    DOI: 10.1007/s10824-018-9332-6
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Consumer reviews; Movies; Film; Affective computing; Survival; Critic reviews;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • L82 - Industrial Organization - - Industry Studies: Services - - - Entertainment; Media
    • D83 - Microeconomics - - Information, Knowledge, and Uncertainty - - - Search; Learning; Information and Knowledge; Communication; Belief; Unawareness

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