Lights, Camera, Interaction: Exploring the Impact of Audience Interrelations on Film Perception

Abstract

This study examines how cinematic viewing context – specifically audience size – influences individuals' emotions and judgments of a film. Since the COVID-19 pandemic theater attendance has declined sharply, threatening the collective viewing experience central to how audiences engage with cinema. Existing research remains limited in scope, leaving gaps in understanding how audience context shapes emotional and evaluative responses. Grounded in theories of collective emotion and spectatorship, this study employes a mixed-methods experiment conduced in January 2026 – combining qualitative and quantitative survey responses – to explore how the number of co-present viewers influences audience experience when watching a comedic short film. A multiple linear regression examined differences in emotional and evaluative responses based on audience size and demographic characteristics, supplemented by thematic analysis of qualitative responses. Findings reveal that large audiences boosted positive emotions through social contagion, though audience size had no significant effect on negative emotions or overall film ratings – suggesting social facilitation’s influence on emotional rather than aesthetic judgment. By illuminating how audience size shapes engagement and perception, this research advances understanding of group dynamics in post-pandemic cultural contexts, with practical implications for distributors and exhibitors seeking to revitalize theater attendance and the social dimension of cinema.