James Bond named the UK’s favourite film franchise following nationwide survey
The James Bond movie series has proved it truly has a ‘license to thrill’ after being named the UK’s favourite big screen franchise, according to new national research revealed today1.
The study, carried out by Showcase Cinemas to celebrate the release of Venom: Let There Be Carnage starring Tom Hardy, sees almost one in five (16%) Brits pick the iconic secret agent franchise, with the magical Harry Potter series coming in second (13%), and action-packed Indiana Jones (12%) rounding off the top three.
However, the charismatic Professor of Archaeology wasn’t to be completely outdone, as Harrison Ford was crowned UK’s favourite actor/actress in a franchise with one in five votes (20%). Sean Connery’s seminal performance as James Bond (18%) followed in second place, with Johnny Depp’s raucous portrayal of Captain Jack Sparrow in Pirates of the Caribbean (16%) coming in third.
In a battle for the ages that’s fit for a Hollywood script, DC overcame Marvel, as Batman was named cinemagoers’ favourite superhero (14%), narrowly defeating fellow DC fan favourite Superman (12%).
The UK’s favourite movie franchise villain was easily the most hotly contested category, with Hannibal Lecter and Darth Vader scuffling for top spot. Ultimately, the cannibalistic serial killer Lecter (19%) proved marginally more menacing than the Sith Lord (18%).
In honour of Tom Hardy’s role as Eddie Brock/Venom, Showcase Cinemas polled Brits to find out their favourite actor or actress who inherited an iconic role. Outgoing Bond Daniel Craig stole the show with over a quarter of the votes (26%), whilst the late, great Heath Ledger came in second place for his Oscar-winning portrayal of the Joker in the The Dark Knight (18%). Meanwhile, Johnny Depp took third for his colourful performance as Willy Wonka (14%), a role made famous by Gene Wilder in 1971.
In a result that will send Pixar fans to infinity and beyond, a quarter of people chose Toy Story as their favourite animated franchise, with loveable green ogre Shrek coming in second (18%).
The older generation preferred the Wallace and Gromit series, with around one in five people aged 55-64 (21%) and 65 and over (19%) selected the stop motion comedy as their favourite animation.
Mark Barlow, UK General Manager for Showcase Cinemas, said: “The big screen has provided us with so many legendary movie franchises over the years, it’s tough to choose a favourite. However, with No Time To Die proving to be a box office smash, it comes as no surprise that the iconic, action-packed James Bond films have been crowned the UK’s favourite, having wowed British cinema fans for decades!
“It was also interesting to see film fans’ views on actors/actresses who take on an already established role, with Tom Hardy replacing the likes of Topher Grace to become Eddie Brock/Venom. We can’t wait to see him reprise the role in the Venom sequel when it hits the big screen in just a couple of weeks.”
Harry Potter poses a big gender and generational divide, with almost twice as many females (16%) selecting it as their favourite franchise when compared to males (9%). And while 18–34-year-olds largely opted for the Potter movies as their number one franchise, James Bond was the most popular selection for people aged over 35.
There are almost twice as many Harry Potter fans (27%) in the North East as in any other region, with Wales, West Midlands and Yorkshire coming in joint second place (15%).
The sequel to the 2018 film Venom, Venom: Let There Be Carnage lands at Showcase Cinemas nationwide on October 15th, with tickets available now: https://www.showcasecinemas.co.uk/film-info/venom-let-there-be-carnage
BRIT’S TOP 10 FAVOURITE BIG SCREEN MOVIE FRANCHISES
JAMES BOND (16%)
HARRY POTTER (13%)
INDIANA JONES (12%)
STAR WARS (11.9%)
LORD OF THE RINGS (11.2%)
TOY STORY (9%)
PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN (7.9%)
JURASSIC PARK (7.7%)
STAR TREK (7.6%)
DIE HARD (7.5%)
