The bar graph shows the proportion of profits made from the seven most popular movie genres in the US in 1995, 2000, and 2005 as a percentage of the total for the industry.
Overall, it is clear that the profits from all the genres fluctuated across the 3 years, with adventure and drama changing the most. Furthermore, adventure, comedy, action, and drama generated more profits than the other three genres.
Looking at the graph more closely, one can see that in 1995, drama stands out as the most lucrative genre since it accounted for almost one-third of the film industry’s total profits. Drama was followed by comedy, which generated 20 percent of the industry’s profits, while action was the third highest grossing genre at 17%. Adventure was also successful, representing close to 15% of the total, which nearly equal to the combined profits of the three genres that made the least money. In 2000, comedy became the most profitable genre, surging five percent above its 1995 figure. An upward trend was also evident that year for thrillers, musicals and animated films. Meanwhile, the other genres were less profitabe that year, with the earnings generated by dramas decreasing the most. In 2005, comedy remained the most profitable genre and its profit share increased to above 25 percent. While the profits from animated films also grew, adventure movies gained the most compared to 2000. Adventure became the second most profitable genre after earning to close to 25 percent. In contrast, the share of profits of action, drama, thrillers, and musicals all declined.