Movie Sequel Marketing and Predictive Analytics: An Empirical Study on Movie Sequel Marketing Analytics on Marvel’s, Wakanda Forever with Moviegoers

The purpose of this study was to examine the Marvel movie, Wakanda Forever, the sequel to the Black Panther movie. We investigated how movie sequels are marketed to consumers and marketing’s influence on movie ticket sales. This study is a continuation of the researchers’ prior research on movie marketing and a model predicting box office revenue and ticket sales. That study examined box office receipts and trends in movies and the box office of successful films. The problem identified as a basis for this study was to dissect the strategy and tactics of marketing movie sequels and their influence on ticket sales. The overall objective of this research is threefold. The first objective of this study was to investigate trends and patterns of movie marketing of sequels with Wakanda Forever. The second objective was to examine what marketing media are a major influence on general and ethnic moviegoers. The last objective was to examine what marketing efforts are more effective in marketing movies as well as the failure of some marketing media. This study used a quantitative research design. The study sample (N = 322) was taken across the country. The researchers used four statistical test designs: (a) descriptive analyses; (b) independent sample t-Test (gender), (c) logistic regression; and (d) regression path analysis (structural equation modeling). The results of this study revealed three key findings. First, the majority of the participants saw the first movie (Black Panther) but were less influenced to see the sequel, Wakanda Forever. Second, there were six strong predictor variables that influenced the participants with broadcast media ads to see the movie, Wakanda Forever. Lastly, there was a difference in the characters in the movie that resonated with the audience. As a result of the statistical analysis, we discovered a 3-factor solution.