Family\/Animation<\/em>.\u00a0<\/p>\nEach works in different ways. Action creates urgency and works as both premium and lean back entertainment, while animation is essential for families and creates a pattern of repeatability. Together, they are keeping entertainment afloat.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Action<\/strong><\/p>\nAccording to Greenlight Analytics pre-release tracking, films in the action and action-adjacent genre consistently reach top-10 grossing performance indicators in their final week: Awareness (~65%), Interest (~57%), Theatrical Intent (~55%), Willingness to Pay (~65%). This isn\u2019t a major surprise; since 2011, action has never accounted for less than 20% of the U.S. box office, according to The Numbers. In 2024, it hit nearly 30%. But ticket sales are not the only source of strength for the genre.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Across both TV and film, action has proven to be a consistent engagement driver on streaming. Action-forward series such as\u00a0The Mandalorian<\/em>,\u00a0Cobra Kai<\/em>,\u00a0The Boys<\/em>,\u00a0The Night Agent<\/em>,\u00a0Jack Ryan<\/em>,\u00a0Fallout<\/em>,\u00a0Reacher\u00a0<\/em>and more have all landed among the Top 10 most-streamed originals in a given year since 2020, per Nielsen. The same goes for action-oriented films such as\u00a0Spenser Confidential<\/em>,\u00a0Red Notice<\/em>,\u00a0The Tomorrow War<\/em>,\u00a0The Gray Man<\/em>,\u00a0Avatar: The Way of Water\u00a0<\/em>and many others. Action accounted for 16.3% of Top 10 titles and 8.6% of Top 10 viewing minutes on streaming from 2020-2024.\u00a0<\/p>\nBottom line: Action is the only genre that is always urgent across both mediums.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Family\/Animation<\/strong><\/p>\nThough original\/new-to-screen animation has struggled at the box office in recent years, known commodities have arguably never been hotter.\u00a0Inside Out 2<\/em>,\u00a0Moana 2<\/em>,\u00a0Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse<\/em>,\u00a0Minions: The Rise of Gru<\/em>,\u00a0Kung Fu Panda 4<\/em>\u2014the list of box office smash hits goes on and on. Family\/Animation consistently delivers the highest Willingness to Pay a Fee (WTP) scores among top films at ~69%, per Greenlight Analytics. Parents consistently pay more\u2014and that trickles down beyond the theatrical.\u00a0<\/p>\nOn streaming, family friendly entertainment boasts immense rewatchability which makes it a very sticky churn reducer. Titles such as\u00a0The Super Mario Bros. Movie<\/em>,\u00a0Leo\u00a0<\/em>and now\u00a0KPop Demon Hunters\u00a0<\/em>stay firmly planted in Netflix\u2019s Top 10 lists for weeks. Animation accounted for 25.4% of Top 10 titles and 10.9% of Top 10 viewing minutes on streaming from 2020-2024.\u00a0<\/p>\nAnimation offers both high upside in theaters and healthy retention on streaming.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Twin Engine Strategy<\/strong><\/p>\nAction sits at the top of the funnel as it attracts audiences. Animation helps improve the lifetime value of a customer (particularly those with kids) once they\u2019re engaged because it keeps you around. Action maximizes event-level urgency and leverages the growing interest in premium large format viewing experiences (hello, IMAX). Family friendly\/animation IP can serve as the launching pad for multimedia franchises (Pokemon<\/em>,\u00a0Dragon Ball Z<\/em>,\u00a0SpongeBob, Toy Story<\/em>, etc.). Action can be grafted onto drama, superhero, sci-fi, fantasy and other genres while animation has proven far more stable than prestige, streaming original sitcoms, or even horror.\u00a0<\/p>\nAnimation appears more frequently across the Top 10s, particularly in the film categories. Action commands fewer Top 10 slots overall but tends to produce massive one-off hits and high theatrical crossover. Both genres clearly overperform relative to their share of all genres. Greenlight\u2019s prescription: studios that balance action\u2019s broad appeal and malleability across mediums with family\/animation\u2019s monetization flexibility will maximize ROI across windows and platforms.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n