Content: Most Popular Genres
by
B. DeVore and M. Matilla

The Question

How do popular books and cinema in the United Kingdom and the United States compare? What are the most popular genres? What do these differences and similarities say about each nation?

Methods/Results: Books

To find the answers to the posed questions, the bestseller book lists from Barnes and Noble and Waterstones booksellers were obtained and compared.

The top twenty best-selling books at Barnes and Noble were representative of America’s readers. The top twenty best-selling books of Waterstones were representative of Britain’s readers. These lists were chosen because both companies are major booksellers in their respective nations. The following are the lists for the week starting November 7, 1999.

From the information above, one can observe that in both the United States and the United Kingdom, novels such as the Harry Potter series are popular. Also, autobiographies of famous individuals such as Geri Halliwell (Ginger Spice of the Spice Girls) and Mick Foley (American professional wrestler, "Mankind") were favored by both nations. A difference between nations is evident in Americans’ obsessions with weight management and overall health. About 45 percent of the books considered best sellers by Barnes and Noble are feeding the United States’ craving for healthier lifestyles. Waterstones’ list contains a handful of books jumping on and cashing in on the millennium bandwagon whereas there are no books pertaining to the year 2000 on the American list.

Methods/Results: Film

To find the answers to the posed questions, lists of top grossing films from ACNielsen EDI and Screen International were obtained and compared.

The top ten grossing films compiled by ACNielsen EDI were representative of America’s cinema audiences. The top ten grossing films compiled by Screen International were representative of Britain’s cinema audiences. The following are the lists for the week ending November 8, 1999.

From the information above, one can observe that horror films are very popular with audiences in the United States. It is also evident that British audiences prefer American-made movies to what are considered European-made movies. Also when comparing the two lists, note that the British list contains films that were released months earlier in the United States. Generally, the American films on the British list when released in the United States did not earn nearly as much money as they did in England.

Conclusions

Americans are more interested in reading books about health issues than novels because they are more concerned with weight and as a nation are plagued by obesity. Britains are more interested in reading novels and books pertaining to the year 2000. Perhaps this is because they have more demanding jobs and lifestyles in general than Americans do.

Americans are quite interested in horror films than dramas. Britons chose to be entertained by American movies that are cast away from audiences in the United States. Perhaps this is, because, if something is labeled American, Europeans will be more than willing to accept and embrace it.