Summer Blockbuster Showdown: Which Upcoming Movies Are Fans Most Excited About?

Lights, camera, action! It’s summer movie season! The next few months on the 2024 blockbuster calendar is stocked with plenty of new releases and a few sequels. We asked a group of Americans what movie they were most excited about, this is what they said.

General

The buzz around summer movie releases is always palpable, and this year’s lineup shows some clear favorites among audiences. Leading the anticipation chart is “Deadpool & Wolverine,” capturing a robust 22% of the vote. This film significantly outpaces others, with “None of the above” surprisingly taking second place at 34%, indicating a notable portion of the audience may be seeking different entertainment options or are uninterested in the major titles. Other noteworthy contenders include “Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes” and “Despicable Me 4,” each garnering 12% and 11% respectively, suggesting a solid interest in franchise continuations. Films like “Furiosa,” “Borderlands,” and “Kraven and the Hunter” are trailing significantly, with each gathering less than 5% of the total interest, highlighting a much lower level of anticipation among the surveyed audience.

Gender

Alright ladies and gentlemen, the show is about to begin—here are the gender breakdowns. “Deadpool & Wolverine” stands out as the top choice for males, commanding a significant 31% of their vote, compared to 15% from females. This stark difference underscores the strong male interest in action-packed, superhero films.

For family and animated films, there’s a noticeable preference shift. “Despicable Me 4” and “Inside Out 2” see stronger support from female audiences at 14% and 12% respectively, compared to 9% and 5% from males. Additionally, “Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes” holds some interest across genders but remains more favored by males at 15% versus 10% from females, aligning with the general trend of males favoring action and adventure genres.

Age

The age breakdown for this summer’s anticipated movies highlights fascinating trends in viewer preferences across different life stages. Notably, “None of the above” garners increasing favor with age, reaching a significant 70% among those 65 and older, suggesting that older audiences may feel less engaged by the offerings or prefer other types of entertainment. Conversely, younger audiences show varied enthusiasm for specific titles, with “Inside Out 2” being particularly popular among the 18-24 age group at 25%, indicating a strong connection with themes likely resonant with young adults.

“Deadpool & Wolverine” is most popular among the 25-44 age bracket, peaking at 29% for the 35-44 group, which may reflect a demographic that has grown up with the superhero genre and finds continued appeal in its evolving narratives. Meanwhile, “Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes” and “Despicable Me 4” see consistent interest in the middle age groups, but less so among the very young or very old.

Ethnicity

To start, “None of the above” claims the majority among Caucasian audiences at 38% and is even higher among ‘Other’ ethnicities at 40%, reflecting a significant portion of these groups opting out of the mainstream cinematic offerings.

Conversely, “Deadpool & Wolverine” is notably popular among Hispanic/Latino audiences, leading their preferences at 31%, compared to 21% among Caucasian audiences. This film’s appeal also extends strongly to African-American and Asian or South Asian communities at 27% and 24%, respectively. “Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes” has double the interest among African-American audiences (20%) compared to Caucasian audiences (10%). “Inside Out 2” and “Despicable Me 4” show more uniform interest across ethnicities but with slightly elevated attention in Asian or South Asian communities for “Inside Out 2” at 13%.

Panel

The panel breakdown for this summer’s anticipated movies starkly illustrates how the selection of different panels can lead to varied insights into audience preferences, underscoring the impact of demographic composition on survey results. Panels E, L, and R show a particularly high interest in “Deadpool & Wolverine,” suggesting a robust enthusiasm for action and superhero themes among these groups. These panels generally rate the movies higher, indicating a broad appeal of the mainstream selections offered.

Conversely, Panel P exhibits a noticeable disinterest across the board, with a striking 43% favoring “None of the above,” pointing to either a mismatch with the movie genres presented or a generally more selective or divergent taste in films. Panel L also demonstrates polarized preferences—high interest in superhero narratives but significant disinterest in others, highlighting its unique response pattern.

Though the data collected here is purely for informational entertainment, the data collection process is still the same and this is a perfect representation of just how important quality data sample blending is to ensure accurate responses!

This is presented visually here. At EMI, we prioritize strategically blending sample sources to balance demographics as well as behaviors and attitudes to ensure that we provide the most representative and accurate data.

Download The Sample Landscape: 2024 Edition to understand better how panels differ from one another and how they impact your data.