Movie preference before watching: the role of perceived-fit between movies and actors

Movie stars have dominated Hollywood for as long as movies have been one of the most popular forms of entertainment media for the public. With their increasing power, several film studies have tried to examine the relationship between the power of movie stars and their movies they present. Considering films are experience goods, consumers priori attitudes toward the actor can influence preference toward the movie. Using the match-up hypothesis and other source models in advertising study, this study examined the effect of an actor on the movie. The findings of this study indicate that when the actor matched well with the attributes of the movie, movie viewers intention to watch was increased, and the likeability of the actor also was related to viewers evaluation of the movie. The results suggest that the use of an actor is useful in stimulating consumers expectation toward the movie and promoting the movie if the actors are appropriate to the movie attributes and maintain their positive images.