Modern Film Roadshows Boost Audiences' Recommendation Willingness Through Audience‑Audience Interaction
Abstract
Film roadshows have become more popular in film promotion and distribution. It has evolved from an exclusive practice for big-budget blockbusters into a standard configuration for genre commercials. With the development of internet‑based media, the costs of hosting and disseminating film roadshows have gradually decreased, and their high marketing benefits have gained growing recognition within the industry. As is widely recognized, a film's roadshow is very effective in improving the film's positive reputation. Existing studies have a large number of examinations of the definitions and features of the film roadshow, audience's willingness to recommend, interaction between creators and audience, and how the Parasocial Interaction (PSI) works in the interaction process, but there is a limitation in explaining the deep psychological action mechanism of interactions in the film roadshow. This study summarizes existing studies and theories about the film roadshow and the interactions that happen in it and how they influence the willingness to recommend, and identifies the limitations of existing research, then expands academic thinking and proposes feasible directions for future research: to deeply explore the psychological mechanism of PSI in the film roadshow, and try to connect existing psychological theories (like the Theory of Planned Behavior) with the above, and to conclude new speculations about the action mechanism of interaction between audience and film creators in the film roadshow.
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