• by Aaron Paquette , Columnist, October 11, 2017

In a year when moviegoing is down and many high-profile films have disappointed at the box office, “It” has become a monster hit. After five weeks in release, it still ranks as the third-highest-grossing film in the nation, with total revenue of over $300 million in the U.S., and nearly the same internationally, for a total gross of over $600 million and counting. And all of this despite (or perhaps because of) a cast of largely unknown talent, and source material more than three decades old.

Which demographic has powered much of this success? Surprisingly, teens. Even though the movie has an R rating, and in theory nobody under the age of 17 should be attending without a parent or guardian, teens have made up a disproportionate amount of the movie’s audience. According to comScore data published in The Hollywood Reporter, a full 15% of the opening-weekend audience were teens. By Week 2, the proportion of teens rose to 21%, almost rivaling the number of Adults 18-24 who attended (26%).

By contrast, some of this fall’s disappointing titles have brought in a much older-skewing audience. Last weekend, “Blade Runner 2049” underperformed expectations with a $33 million gross. One of the reasons is that, according to Deadline, it was essentially a one-quadrant movie: Males 25+ made up a whopping 53% of the audience. And the weekend before, Tom Cruise’s “American Made” disappointed with a $17 million gross, hampered by the fact that just 9% of its audience was under 25.

What lessons can marketers and content creators learn from the rise of “It” and the fall of so many other movies?

Make moviegoing a group event. As noted here last month, teens aren’t dating as much as previous generations, so the romantic comedies of the eighties, nineties and aughts are DOA. But a scary movie that goes viral can become an event for an entire group of friends to see together. They make a point of seeing it opening weekend, and if they love it, they’ll evangelize it to others, and even come back to see it a second time, and bring more friends with them. A “group event” movie can sell 8-10 tickets per party, while a romantic comedy tends to sell two at best. So look for ways to activate big groups, to get big rewards.

Movies make stars, stars don’t make movies. Until recently, TV was a star-making medium, and theatricals tended to feature A-list stars who could dependably open a movie. Today, those stars are few and far between. Franchise, concept, characters and story now tend to carry much greater weight than star power. Teens love discovering fresh new talent, from the casts of “13 Reasons Why” to “Stranger Things” to now, “It.” These fresh-faced performers are much more resonant than a 50something star in “American Made,” or a 70something star in “Blade Runner 2049.” So find new, “up and coming” talent with a social media presence, and use them to help sell the film.

Look for franchises with universal appeal. “Blade Runner” was a beloved classic that bombed in theaters in 1982, but found a cult following in its afterlife. Still, it’s not a well-known story, and it’s difficult to explain and understand. However, everybody understands clowns; many are scared by them; and everybody gets the idea of clowns luring children down into storm drains. This concept taps into a near-universal fear and fascination, and also lends itself well to memes. So look for a franchise or concept that’s easily-explained, easily communicated and memeworthy.

To find the next big box-office hit, you don’t have to look down a storm drain; let teens power your movie’s success.