Paper Number
ICIS2025-2584
Paper Type
Short
Abstract
Predicting audience rating in the uncertain film industry is challenging, leading audiences to rely on signals. This study investigates how the configuration of cast atypicality—the novelty of actors relative to genre conventions—signals quality. Integrating signaling theory with Harrison & Klein’s diversity framework (Separation, Variety, Disparity), we analyze how the structure of atypicality within a film's cast impacts audience reception. Using data from ~104,000 films, OLS regressions reveal that high Variety (signaling ambiguity) and Separation (polarization) in cast atypicality negatively correlate with audience rating. Conversely, high Disparity (focused, uneven novelty) shows a positive association. These findings suggest the cast's structural configuration acts as a complex signal, with focused distinctiveness being more favorably rated than ambiguous or polarized novelty, highlighting the importance of team composition beyond individual star power in shaping market perception.
Recommended Citation
KIAEI, Ali and Kyriakou, Harris, "The Effect of Three Types of Atypicality on Audience Rating" (2025). ICIS 2025 Proceedings. 15.
https://aisel.aisnet.org/icis2025/is_media/is_media/15
The Effect of Three Types of Atypicality on Audience Rating
Predicting audience rating in the uncertain film industry is challenging, leading audiences to rely on signals. This study investigates how the configuration of cast atypicality—the novelty of actors relative to genre conventions—signals quality. Integrating signaling theory with Harrison & Klein’s diversity framework (Separation, Variety, Disparity), we analyze how the structure of atypicality within a film's cast impacts audience reception. Using data from ~104,000 films, OLS regressions reveal that high Variety (signaling ambiguity) and Separation (polarization) in cast atypicality negatively correlate with audience rating. Conversely, high Disparity (focused, uneven novelty) shows a positive association. These findings suggest the cast's structural configuration acts as a complex signal, with focused distinctiveness being more favorably rated than ambiguous or polarized novelty, highlighting the importance of team composition beyond individual star power in shaping market perception.
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