49% of moviegoers research the movie on the Internet before going

MarketCast found that 49% of moviegoers surveyed actively research a movie after first hearing about it; and of these, seven in ten go the Internet, typically using search engines. MarketCast calls this influential segment Moviegoing Infoseekers and found they account for about a third of respondents. Just over half of the moviegoers surveyed (Infoseekers and Traditional combined) use the Internet to research movie schedules and theater locations, more than all other sources combined. Newspaper listings are second, at 18%, but only the older moviegoers (those 35 and older) were found to use newspaper listings with any great frequency (one in three of those over 35, compared to just 13% to 16% of the younger age groups). Infoseekers are four times as likely to first find out about a movie via the Internet (16% compared to 4%) and are a third less likely to first find out about a movie via television (32% compared to 48%). More than a third of Infoseekers say the Internet (search engines, general portals, entertainment websites, sites created by studios for specific movies, ticketing sites) is the most influential medium in their decision to see a movie, compared to just 7% of Traditional Moviegoers. Fewer than half of Infoseekers say that television is the most important medium, versus 70% of traditional moviegoers.