Trending Popularity Analysis

Tracking how movie popularity has evolved over the years

Introduction

This visualization tracks the evolution of movie popularity over time, identifying trends in audience preferences and the rise and fall of different genres. We analyze how cultural, technological, and industry factors have influenced what types of films capture audience attention.

Popularity Metric:

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Power BI Visualization

Popularity Timeline (D3.js)

Runtime vs Rating Analysis (Plotly)

Key Findings

Genre Evolution

Superhero and franchise films have seen a dramatic rise in popularity since 2008, coinciding with the launch of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. This trend has continued to dominate through the 2010s and into the 2020s.

Seasonal Patterns

Clear seasonal patterns emerge in film popularity, with summer blockbuster season (May-July) and holiday releases (November-December) consistently showing higher audience engagement across decades.

Streaming Impact

Post-2015 data shows changing patterns in how popularity is measured, with streaming releases demonstrating different engagement patterns compared to traditional theatrical releases.

Nostalgia Cycles

We identified approximately 20-30 year nostalgia cycles, where themes, aesthetics, and reboots from previous generations see renewed popularity with audiences.

Methodology Notes

This visualization uses line charts and area charts to track popularity metrics over time. The TMDB popularity score is a composite metric that includes factors such as number of votes, recency, and user engagement.

For historical comparison, we've normalized popularity scores within each time period to account for the increasing number of ratings in more recent years. This allows for more meaningful comparison across different eras of filmmaking.