The impact of movie reviews vs. word of mouth on post-viewing evaluations of films

Moviegoers regularly encounter movie reviews and word of mouth (WOM) prior to seeing a film. This thesis examined (1) whether reviews and WOM influence moviegoers’ post-viewing opinions of a film and (2) whether this information’s influence is moderated by moviegoing frequency. Using a between-subjects factorial design, the study gave participants positive or negative information about a film that they were led to believe came from either professional movie reviews or students at their university. Participants then watched the film and gave their opinions of its quality. The study found that, regardless of valence or source, this information did not significantly influence participants’ post-viewing opinions of the film. In addition, frequency of moviegoing did not moderate the information’s impact on those opinions. Potential explanations for these results and future directions for study are discussed.