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Poll: ‘Back to the Future’ is the franchise audiences most want to see a new movie from

Published Nov 22nd, 2018 9:15PM EST
Back to the future
Image: Universal Pictures

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It’s hard not to feel like we’re living in the Golden Age of the Reboot. Spider-Man and James Bond are among the countless big screen characters and franchises that have gotten rebooted installments, and TV is giving us plenty of examples as well these days. Which got the folks at The Hollywood Reporter curious — they decided to ask moviegoers what’s an existing movie franchise that they’d most want to see a new movie from?

The answer? Great Scott! We all apparently want to go back. To the future!

Per the magazine, 71 percent of respondents to the THR/Morning Consult poll said they’d prefer to see a new Back to the Future story ahead of many other popular movie franchises. From the magazine’s piece about the findings: “Of the 2,201 adults surveyed between Nov. 8 and 11, 71 percent said that they’d be likely to watch another outing for Marty McFly and Doc Brown ahead of other franchises like Pixar’s Toy Story (69 percent), Lucasfilm’s Indiana Jones (68 percent) and Universal’s Jurassic Park (67 percent).

Back to the Future also polled well when it came to the question of which franchise has been most closely followed by the public. Fifty-four percent of those polled reported having watched the entirety of the series, compared with just 36 percent for the ever-growing Star Wars series.”For a deeper look as to what other franchises fans said they’d be interested in seeing new movies from, Star Wars beat out the Avengers, the Matrix and Hunger Games. Sixty-three percent of respondents said they’d be into a new Star Wars movie, compared to 57 percent for the Avengers, 55 percent for the Hunger Games and 54 percent for another Matrix film.

In a statement, Morning Consult vice president Tyler Sinclair said the findings point to a robust appetite among movie fans for revisiting the past. “There’s a strong consumer demand for movie reboots and sequels,” he said, “which spells good news for movie studios looking to capitalize on that nostalgic feeling. Our polling finds half of Americans say they are much more likely to watch throwbacks and revivals.”

Ranked solely on favorability, the poll’s findings showed Toy Story as the runaway winner, with an 82 percent favorability rating. The James Bond franchise, with 74 percent, also posted a strong number in that category.

Also worth nothing is the fact that audiences don’t apparently want to see reboots for reboots’ sake. Seventy-one percent of respondents to this poll said they’d be more likely to watch a new movie in a franchise only if they liked the earlier releases. Another 63 percent said they’d be most likely to watch a new installment if members of the original cast return.

Andy Meek Trending News Editor

Andy Meek is a reporter based in Memphis who has covered media, entertainment, and culture for over 20 years. His work has appeared in outlets including The Guardian, Forbes, and The Financial Times, and he’s written for BGR since 2015. Andy's coverage includes technology and entertainment, and he has a particular interest in all things streaming.

Over the years, he’s interviewed legendary figures in entertainment and tech that range from Stan Lee to John McAfee, Peter Thiel, and Reed Hastings.