1. Gender
In
NATM, we can observe and come to the conclusion that, although this is family film that is intended for all, it's audience gender demographic is more male than female.
We can assume this due to the fact that a majority of the cast/characters are male, (evidenced below), so they'll probably appeal more to a male audience as they can relate primarily on gender.
*Above is the cast list of the main characters/cast members of the film. Highlighted are the names of the male actors. Owen Wilson, another main male actor, was uncredited.
The cast list is from http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0477347/.
We can also look at marketing and how certain movie tropes rely on gender stereotype of what certain genders find appealing.
The film does include some romantic moments, for example the presentation of the growing relationships between Larry and Rebecca as well as Teddy and Sacajawea. However, whilst you could argue that this is proof that the film is not gender biased as includes aspects that are aimed at males and females, you also make the point that perhaps the only reason the romance scenes were included was to add to the plot or as an attempt to attract a wider audience range, as to pull in some of the female demographic into their audience.
Furthermore, despite these romantic moments, the film heavily includes action scenes, such as Atilla the Hun's threats, Octavius and Jedidiah driving a monster truck, and the horseback riding finale of the film; These can serve as proof that the main focus of the film creators is to appeal to a male demographic by mainly using sequences that would appeal to them.
2. Age
NATM is a family film, so it is intended for all ages. It is clear that the makers of the film want to appeal to all ages with this film. This is evident through the casting choice and the wide age range of the cast involved, from the youngest (Jake Cherry) being 10 years old, and the oldest (Mickey Rooney) being 86 years old. This wide age range amongst actors allows the audience to relate and/or recognise at least one of the characters based on age demographic alone.
Another example of the film makers attempts to appeal to all ages is the content of the film and how quickly the tone can, like how it can go from the talking Easter Island head, a prop used to entertain the younger demographic, to a suspenseful chase as Larry is hunted down by murderous soldiers, aimed more to please an older audience.
In one comical scene, Larry and Dexter (the ape) proceed in a slapping fight, taking turns to slap each other across the face. This is slapstick used to create comedy and, whilst it appeals to most, it a simple to understand and find humourous so this is primarily for the younger audience members. Teddy then enters the scene and, upon witnessing the actions taking place, asks "Why are you slapping a monkey?", which is in reference to a euphemism, so this question has sexual connotations which makes it an innuendo; whilst the younger audience member will not understand the second meaning to this, the older members will as this joke was added for them.
It is possibly due to humour and scenes like this that resulted in the film being labelled with a PG (Parental Guidance) rating. The PG rating could also be a result of the film's sometimes dark and graphic nature; though rare, scenes such as the dinosaur's first appearance and Attila the Hun's threats of disembodiment, could be deemed as too scary, violent or inappropriate for the younger end of the film's wide demographic. These subject must be put into consideration and analysed closely before the film is aired.
Below is IMDB's Parent's Guide which includes items that may potentially offend some audience members and, based on the 5 subjects listed, has received a 9/50 mark, meaning that although inappropriate content worthy of an age restriction is rare, it is still advised that those under the age of 6 should be accompanied by an adult/guardian when watching the film.
The Parent Guide above was from http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0477347/parentalguide
3. Lifestyle
We could assume/create a relatable audience demographic's lifestyle based upon the lifestyle of the protagonist and other character's within the film, and how an audience can relate to this.
For example, we already know that this is a family film that is better suited for a male audience, so from this we can conclude that it will appeal more to fathers and sons; This is also evident from the sub-plot, another key asset of the story, as it focuses on the relationship between Larry and Nick Daley, a father and son, so this relates to the audience group the film is aimed at.
We could go further into this analysis as to suggest that the film is also trying to appeal to those within a certain situation that relates to those of the main characters. Obviously the idea of exhibition mannequins coming to life is pure fiction and fantasy, however some of the sub-plots can relate to real life dilemmas that some audience members may also be dealing with; Teddy struggling to find the courage to admit his love to another character, or Larry's challenge to find a job are two scenarios that are realistic and appeal/relate to to its audience on an emotional level. This also applies to the fact that Nick's parents in the film are divorced, so this film may serve as a form of escapism and/or support to a child being raised by a single parent, if we were to study it analytically.
Below, within the highlighted section, is an audience profile I created for
NATM:
Mike is 10 years old. His favourite lesson at school is P.E. and History. Mike's parent are divorced and though he lives with his mum he gets to spend time with his dad over the weekend. Mike and his dad will spend this time to catch up, discuss how Mike is doing at school and then watch a film together. Mike's favourite films to watch with his dad are 'Mrs Doubtfire' and 'Night at the Museum'.
4. Spending Power
Due to Larry's lack of skills in maintaining a job and struggling to get
enough money to support his kid, if a majority of the audience does
relate to him them then they're ABC1 audience demographic is probably B -
C2 or D. This can be seen from the protagonist's working class.
Whilst being within the B -
C2 or D demographic, this still allows the parents spending power. This means that the parents are still capable of buying Night at the Museum DVD's, products and merchandise. This profit from merchandise is important for the film and
20th Century Fox Film company to strive. As a family film, this helps to receive profit from merchandising rights as they are more capable to sell their toy products to the young demographic of their audience, who will ask the older demographic to purchase the product for them.
The company would also receive a larger profit from cinema tickets, again as a result of it being a family film. As a family film, it is most likely that the cinema audience will mostly be made up of families and less likely that people would go to see it on their own. From more families going to the film in cinema mean that more people will be going into the cinema, therefore there should be a distinctive and favorable profit. This is evident from the film becoming the 5th highest grossing film of the year, shown below.
In the list below,
NATM has been highlighted in
yellow, along with other family films which were amongst the highest grossing films of 2006, showing how successful family films are in the box office. Family films have a great success rate in the box office as film companies are aware that families are more likely to go to the cinema, increasing ticket sales, and they are then able to sell merchandise, bought by the adult demographic for the young demographic.
Films listed below highlighted in
orange are films with a PG - 13 rating but can still be classed as family films. Other none highlighted films that have the same PG - 13 rating, such as The Da Vinci Code or X-Men: The Last Stand, would not be classed by many people as family films nor appropriate for a younger audience, despite if children still do watch them. These decisions on which PG - 13 film were intended to be family films (or not) were based upon my own views and from provided
parents guide opinions from IMDB. http://www.imdb.com/swiki/special?ParentalGuideHelp
Highlighted
blue sections signify films within the list created by the 20th Century Fox film company. With three films within the list, 20th Century Fox had the most films within the top ten list of highest grossing films than any other company, beating other successful film companies such as Columbia, Warner Bros. and Disney.
The list of the highest grossing films of the year 2006, shown above, is from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2006_in_film.