The results of a survey into whose opinion people most trust about films has just been published, prior to the British Film Institute London Film Festival. It's clear than people don't trust film critics, with even the wonderful Mark Kermode only reaching 3%, though I think this is simply because most people don't actually listen to his Friday afternoon Radio5Live show with Simon Mayo and don't bother to read film reviews.
- 28% (the largest single percentage) say they most trust their own opinions rather than those of anyone else when choosing which film to watch.
- However, in second place, 17% most value the opinion of a friend.
- Immediate family members came third with 14%, while 9% would most trust their partner.
- BBC Radio 5 Live’s Mark Kermode (pictured) also registered as a trusted figure, although some way behind: his judgement is trusted most by 3% of the public, the highest of any critic.
- Despite their high media profile, film magazines Empire and Film didn’t fare so well, with just 1% apiece valuing their opinions over all others.
28% of people trusting their own judgment about what to watch over that of others is interesting. This is probably because of the well-known psychological problem of us over-rating our abilities in almost everything (most people think they're better than average drivers, etc.). It's also the reason why rubbish films which have big advertising budgets do well despite not having significant intrinsic merits.