The Woman in Black questions

Who do you think the primary and secondary target audience is for The Woman in Black? Why?

Primary- Teens/Young adults. Being certificated a ‘12’ was to draw in the audience and make it suitable for Daniel Radcliffe’s fa
ns who know him from Harry Potter which primary audience is younger people. Around this age, Horror is most popular but the popularity of the film rides mainly on the star’s power.

Secondary- The secondary audience would be people of an older age range. The film is based off the novel released in 1983 so the older audience will be fans of this gothic literature and understand the mature themes of the film better than the primary audiences.

How was The Woman in Black marketed? (Think about genre(s), subgenre(s), media platforms, target audience, promotions, size of campaign, etc).

The Woman in Black was marketed as a clear horror and supernatural thriller through the use of ghosts and a haunted house imagery on posters matching with the subgenre’s clear conventions. It is Daniel Radcliffe’s first major role after the Harry Potter franchise. His name and picture are very clearly displayed on posters, trailers and promotional videos. He participated to increase the popularity and promote the film to his best extent to change his image and be shown as a serious actor. The use of internet attracts a more young audience in comparison to print advertisement for an older.

Do you think the marketing materials for the film were appropriate? Why?

I think the marketing materials were appropriate for the film a lot of them were based through social media and online which would target the younger teen audiences who are the primary target audience. A lot of competition were also held which would attract a much younger audience such as fans of Harry Potter who know Daniel Radcliffe well in that role.

What kind of release did the film have? (Big/small? How many cinemas showed the film on its release?)

The film had a rather large release grossing a total of $128,955,898 worldwide.

How much did The Woman in Black cost to make? (Production budget) AND what was the industry impact of The Woman in Black? (Think box office and trends).

The Woman in Black came second place in the box-office and earned itself the title of biggest US opening for a Hammer film in all of Hammer history. In all, the budget for the film was only $15million.

Why do you think the film was so successful? (You must come up with at least two reasons).

One reason as to why the film was popular was due to the cast’s impact. Using a popular actor such as Daniel Radcliffe who had just come out of playing the biggest role of his life-Harry Potter, which is known worldwide, caused a massive impact on the audience as a whole. I think another reason was due to the highly productive marketing materials and variety they brought. Through marketing, the film could engage with audiences through use of internet, billboards, posters and articles in magazines and newspapers. This would have attracted a large range of both the primary and secondary target audience and made the film itself incredibly unavoidable.