CANNES 2025: A panel examined audience behaviour, marketing strategies and the data-driven forces transforming how genre films are made, marketed and consumed

l-r: José Luis Mejia Razo, Eduardo Calla, Miguel Rivera and Stephen Follows during the panel

At this year’s Marché du Film, the Fantastic Pavilion hosted the panel “Algorithms, Audiences & Auteurs: Who Really Controls Genre Films?”, a discussion focused on the financial and cultural forces reshaping genre cinema. Moderated by José Luis Mejia Razo, the event saw experts in exhibition, analytics and distribution examine how younger, digital-first audiences and evolving market dynamics are fuelling the global rise of genre films, especially horror.

Stephen Follows, a film-industry analyst and author of The Horror Movie Report, opened with a statistical overview: horror, once a niche product, now accounts for 12%-13% of global production and was the third-most-popular genre at the UK box office in 2024, trailing only drama and comedy. Notably, this rise comes amidst an overall boom in filmmaking. “Horror is booming in a booming market,” he noted, calling it a genre “for the people” and one whose audience profile mirrors the general population more than any other.

Miguel Rivera, VP programming and content at Cinépolis, confirmed the shift with theatrical data from Latin America, where Cinépolis operates in 18 territories. “In Latin America, horror is king,” he said, adding that some weeks now feature two horror releases, which was a rarity pre-pandemic. Post-COVID, horror not only maintained its foothold in cinemas, but dramatically expanded it. Between 2017 and 2019, horror represented 9.1% of total Mexican admissions. From 2021-2023, that number surged to 14.5%.

Eduardo Calla, CSO at BF Distribution, emphasised the volume surge on the distribution side. “In the past ten years, Latin America has screened about 2,000 genre titles, 65% of which came after the pandemic.” But he also issued a caveat: quality control is essential. “Not everything works,” he warned. “This audience is loyal, but if we flood the market with weak content, we risk losing them.”

Follows highlighted a structural insight: horror is one of the few genres that transcend class distinctions. In the UK, audience breakdowns by socioeconomic class reveal that horror's audience reflects the general population, unlike drama or arthouse films, which skew wealthier. This inclusive appeal is also reflected in age and gender data. Rivera reported that horror over-indexes significantly among 18- to 25-year-olds, rising from an average 16%-18% share across all genres to 20%-22% for horror. Terrifier 3 was a standout, drawing 80% of its audience from the 18-35 bracket, despite age restrictions. “Even in upscale VIP cinemas, we can’t afford not to programme horror,” Rivera added. “It performs everywhere, from low-cost neighbourhood theatres to premium venues.”

Calla linked horror’s popularity to the fast-paced emotional appetite of Gen Z and Millennials. “This TikTok generation needs immediacy – jump scares, fast feelings…” he noted. In that sense, horror competes with comedy and drama, often emerging as the more emotionally direct genre.

The role of social media in building buzz was a recurring theme. Films like Terrifier 3, The Substance [+see also:
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Follows stressed that, for indie horror, success isn’t about reaching everyone; it’s about reaching the right audience. “Studios can afford to push films into people’s faces. Independent horror doesn’t have that luxury. It requires matchmaking: connecting a film with the people who will love it.” Calla recounted how The Substance started with modest momentum and snowballed into a historic hit, becoming the highest-grossing independent horror title in Latin America in a decade. Their campaign focused on precision targeting and trust-building within a core fanbase, rather than traditional media spend. Rivera added that at Cinépolis, a curated recommendation can meaningfully boost a film’s visibility. “It tells audiences that we stand behind this,” he said, citing the importance of close distributor-exhibitor collaboration on everything from digital assets to local premieres.

The panel closed on a forward-looking note, with optimism about horror’s international scalability. Rivera and Calla emphasised that horror travels better than any other genre, unlike comedy or drama, which are often culturally bound. “We tried to distribute Spanish comedies in Latin America, but they flopped,” Calla said. “But horror? Horror is universal.” Follows likened horror’s genre expansion to the way music fragmented in the post-radio era. “Horror now means everything and nothing. We’re entering a phase where subgenres – arthouse horror, slasher, body horror – become essential in defining identity and marketing.”

While the conversation returned often to The Substance as the case study of the moment, panellists were cautious not to chase replication. As Rivera pointed out, Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey generated a wave of similar IP-driven horror films, most of which failed. “You can’t force a moment,” he said. “You have to feel what’s missing and offer something new.”

In an age of collapsing gatekeepers and fragmented attention, genre filmmaking, and especially horror, has emerged as a reliable, innovative and deeply communal form of cinema. As Follows put it, “Horror didn’t get better; the barriers fell.” From multiplexes to micro-budget campaigns, and from TikTok memes to theatrical marathons, horror is no longer fighting for respect; it’s defining the future.