1. FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
For More Information, Contact:
Lance Henik
215-643-8744
lhenik@leger360.com
Millennials and Younger Families Driving Interest for Marvel’s The Avengers: Age of Ultron
(May 4, 2015, Fort Washington, Pennsylvania,) This past weekend, U.S. box office sales for Disney/Marvel’s Avengers:
Age of Ultron exceeded $191 million, with worldwide sales having reached over $630 million. With opening weekend
sales for the movie ranked at #2 of all time (approximately $20 million behind Marvel’s The Avengers), the 2015 summer
blockbuster movie season is now underway.
“Considering the number of sporting events that took place this weekend, having over $190 million in movie box office
ticket sales is a phenomenal accomplishment,” said Lance Henik, Senior Account Manager at Leger (The Research
Intelligence Group). “May 2, 2015 was deemed by many as the best sports day of the year, with events around: English
Premier League (EPL) soccer, the continuation of the NFL draft, classic baseball rivalries such as the Yankees and Red Sox
(MLB), the NBA playoffs, the NHL playoffs, the Kentucky Derby, with the evening capped off by the long-awaited boxing
match between Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquio.”
Besides the sporting events around the country, there were other factors competing with going to the movies. “Those
living in the Northeast part of the U.S. this past weekend were able to enjoy some of the most pleasant weather so far
this year,” said Henik.
After taking these factors into consideration, earning $191 million this past weekend speaks volumes to the power of
the Avengers brand as a movie franchise.
According to research conducted by Leger in March, 2015, the Avengers: Age of Ultron approached the top of the list for
movies that U.S. Americans are looking forward to seeing in 2015. In particular, interest is driven specifically by both
millennials and the younger Generation X age groups (39% in each of the 18-29 and 30-39 age groups), with interest for
this movie waning with age (40-49: 35%; 50-64: 21%; 65+: 14%).
As with most movies in the superhero genre, interest among males was significantly higher than females (34% vs. 25%,
respectively). Despite this, the movie seems to have garnered appeal among those seeking ‘family entertainment,’ as
those with children or household sizes of 3 or more were significantly more likely to report looking forward to seeing
this movie than those without children or those with smaller household sizes (39% interest among HH of 3+ vs. 22% for
HH sizes below 3 (1 or 2). Finally, minorities overall were significantly more likely than whites (36% vs. 27%) to look
forward to watching the movie.
This is in contrast to the demos that are driving the most anticipated film of the year, which according to the Leger
March, 2015 poll is Star Wars – The Force Awakens. At 40%, the 40-49 age group showed the greatest amount of
interest in this film, while only 26% of the 18-29 age group report looking forward to this film; lower than any other age
segment and indicative of the generation gap that exists for interest in the Star Wars franchise. Where the Avengers
sequel piqued interest among families, there were no significant differences by children or by household size for interest
in the Star Wars movie. Lastly, those who are white were more likely than minorities (37% vs 29%, respectively) to
report looking forward to seeing the latest Star Wars installment.

2. Although both movies garnered greater appeal among males than females, the gender gap for interest was wider for the
Star Wars film (Male, 44%: Female, 27%); however, with the Avengers sequel, interest drops down to 34% and 26%,
respectively.
So…what films are the women looking forward to seeing this year?
According to the March 2015 poll, movies such as The Fast and the Furious 7 (28% female vs. 22% male) and Pitch
Perfect 2 (18% female vs. 12% male) showed significantly more interest from females than their male counterparts.
Specific to Pitch Perfect 2, the movie also had particular appeal among 18-29 year olds (more than any other age group),
and those with children/higher household sizes when compared to those with no children/smaller household sizes.
Despite the unique appeal women have for these movies, neither film was found at the top of the list for the one that
women were most looking forward to seeing in 2015.
With one in three (33%) women reporting they are looking forward to seeing the movie, at the top of the list was
Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2, the second-half of the third installment of the Hunger Games franchise. In total, the
Hunger Games films sold more than $1 billion in domestic sales. Interest in this movie, however, was not gender specific,
as three in ten (30%) males also reported looking forward to seeing this film. However, specific to Mockingjay Part 2,
more than four in ten (42%) of those with household incomes greater than $100K report interest in this film – the
affluent appeal for this film was higher than any other film mentioned.
What may be surprising is that unlike the Avengers film, interest for Mockingjay Part 2 did not decline as much as age
increased. According to the poll, one-quarter (26%) of those 65 or older expressed looking forward to seeing this film, a
sharp jump when compared to the 14% who expressed interest in the Avengers sequel.
Despite this, similar to what the poll uncovered for the Avengers and Pitch Perfect sequels, appeal for the Mockingjay
Part 2 hinted at family-based ticket sales as interest for this film was also significantly higher among those with children
and those with larger household sizes (3+) than those with no children/smaller household sizes.
The results of the poll also suggested a widespread anticipation for the 4th
installment of the Jurassic Park series, Jurassic
World. The demos driving interest in the film echoed that for the Avengers, with two exceptions. First, interest in
Jurassic World was slightly higher for both men and women than the Avengers (+5% for men, +2% for women). Next,
interest also climbed among the 50-64 and 65+ age groups (+6% and +8%, respectively) when compared to the
proportions seen for the Avengers.
Considering Jurassic World marks the first sequel in its franchise to be released in well over a decade (Jurassic 3 was
released in 2001), the appeal found among older groups for Jurassic World may not be a surprise.
In a year full of potential smash hit sequels, some more long-awaited than others, anticipation and expectations are
running high among the potential movie-going audiences. At the same, the movie industry as a whole will be hopeful
these potential blockbusters can deliver as well as Avengers: Age of Ultron already has.

3. Methodology
The Leger survey was conducted online with 1,015 respondents, 18 years of age or older, among the U.S. population
from March 13th
through March 18th
2015, and was balanced/weighted to statistically represent the country by age,
gender, ethnicity, and region. Based on this sample size, the results carry a margin of error of approximately ± 3.1% at
the 95% confidence level.
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Sidebar: About Leger
Leger is the largest Canadian-owned polling, research, and strategic marketing firm with 600 employees in Montreal,
Quebec City, Toronto, Edmonton, and Calgary in Canada, Philadelphia in the United States, as well as Zurich in
Switzerland. Leger is part of the WIN network partners in more than 100 countries, making Leger not only the largest
Canadian-owned company in its sector, but also an internationally recognized brand.
Leger provides its clients with unique expertise in market research and information technology, in addition to
business consulting and strategies in the fields of customer satisfaction, positioning, brand management,
communication efficiency, corporate reputation, social acceptability, crisis management and customer experience.
For more information on Leger, please consult our Web site, www.leger360.com.