Five stars?

Hannah ThompsonYouGovLabs and UK Public Opinion Website Editor
October 12, 2010, 8:19 PM GMT+0

The British public appear to trust their own judgement over that of others when deciding on what movie to splash out a cinema ticket and popcorn, our recent survey shows.

  • 28% (the largest single percentage) say they most trust their own opinions rather than those of anyone else when choosing which film to watch.

  • However, in second place, 17% most value the opinion of a friend.
  • Immediate family members came third with 14%, while 9% would most trust their partner.
  • BBC Radio 5 Live’s Mark Kermode (pictured) also registered as a trusted figure, although some way behind: his judgement is trusted most by 3% of the public, the highest of any critic.
  • Despite their high media profile, film magazines Empire and Film didn’t fare so well, with just 1% apiece valuing their opinions over all others.

British Film Institute London Film Festival

The results come as the British Film Institute (BFI) London Film Festival is poised to begin tomorrow, with the opening and closing Night Gala films including Mark Romanek’s Never Let Me Go and Danny Boyle’s (of Trainspotting, The Beach and Slumdog Millionaire fame) 127 Hours. The annual festival includes the showing of films and talks with directors and other experts within many categories, including such varied areas as ‘3D’, ‘adaptation’, ‘avant garde’, ‘youth’, ‘drama’, ‘identity’ and ‘gender’, alongside many others.

The survey of 1,903 British adults was conducted online between 6th-7th October 2010.

When choosing a film to watch, whose views and opinions do you value most?