It’s that time of year again, fellas — yes, AskMen.com has compiled the data for its annual Great Male Survey, crunched the numbers, and published the results. If you want to put your finger on the pulse of what dudes are thinking, look no further — and if you’ve been feeling like this year’s crop of summer blockbusters is one of the least exciting to come out of Hollywood in recent memory, you can at least take solace in the knowledge that most of the guys who responded to the survey agree with you. Yes, it’s sad but true: When asked to name the movie of the summer so far, 39 percent of respondents answered “None.” Here’s how it all broke down:
Q. What has been the best summer movie of 2009 to date?
39% – None
28% – Star Trek
21% – Transformers II
08% – X-Men Origins: Wolverine
04% – Terminator Salvation
Not exactly good news for the folks who depend on cash registers ringing at the cineplex — and it doesn’t get any better for the rest of the summer, either. When asked to identify the film they were most eagerly anticipating, 26 percent of respondents answered “Public Enemies,” whose generally lukewarm reviews and good-but-not-great box office returns have been something of a letdown for Universal. In second place, with 22 percent? That bastard “None.”
Q. Which forthcoming summer 2009 movie are you most looking forward to?
26% – Public Enemies
22% – None
18% – Bruno
18% – G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra
16% – Inglourious Basterds
So guys aren’t happy with what has been in theaters this summer, and they aren’t happy about what’s going to be in theaters — so where’s the silver lining for Hollywood? Well, if you’re in the network business, or worried about warding off the TV ratings drift toward streaming Web content, you’ll be happy to know that although 75 percent of respondents listed their computer monitor as the screen they spend the most time in front of, 49 percent of them still watch their favorite TV series the old-fashioned way: Episode by episode, as it’s broadcast live. You might be hearing about TiVo, Hulu, and TV on DVD all the time, but if the jump away from live TV is happening, it’s occurring more slowly than you might think.
The worst news, as it turns out, is for the PR flacks that work for Barack Obama and Paris Hilton — the male and female celebs that respondents named as the public figures they’re most tired of hearing about (although, to be fair, Obama tied with — you guessed it — “None”). Overexposure, plain old dislike, or blind button pushing? You decide — and make sure you check out the rest of the Great Male Survey to see what guys are thinking about cars, sports, and entertainment!
