In a multi-screen digital world, Google’s search world has become increasingly key to marketing movies to a worldwide audience — especially in the run-up to opening weekends.
With Barbie and Oppenheimer making waves at the multiplex last summer, Barbenheimer had an unsurprisingly ripple effect for both tentpoles — as they topped the Google Trends table for the most movie queries made worldwide in 2023.
Google Trends tracks user searches, including on YouTube where trailers impact movie picks for cinema-goers. Much depends on demographics and regional appeal, of course, as this year’s table for Google Trends was topped by movies as disparate as titles about an iconic Mattel doll movie, the father of the nuclear bomb and a child trafficking drama.
So, let’s dig deeper into Google’s global search results for the past year, which are revealed to have tracked pretty well in box office trends.
1) Barbie
Director Greta Gerwig’s Barbie — which brought to life Mattel’s iconic fashion doll — ruled the charts as the most-searched movie globally this year. Interest, especially in the soundtrack album, peaked with the female-fueled tentpole’s dazzling worldwide debut in late July 2023. Search traction for the Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling-starrer for Warner Bros. soared in Mexico, the U.S. and Brazil.
2) Oppenheimer
The box office showdown between Christopher Nolan’s atomic bomb drama and Barbie — dubbed “Barbenheimer” on social media — had global searches in Oppenheimer soaring in July 2023 in trends. Interest peaked in Ireland, which happens to be where lead Cillian Murphy is from.
Oppenheimer
3) Jawan
Shah Rukh Khan’s action thriller Jawan took the third spot, with Google searches peaking in India with the early September theatrical release. The Hindi-language drama backed by Yash Raj Films was helped by lead “King Khan” having a global fanbase reaching well beyond India.
4) Sound of Freedom
The faith-based political thriller became the sleeper hit of the U.S. box office during the summer season, taking it to the fourth spot in Google Trends. Interest was strongest in the Americas, led by Puerto Rico, the U.S. and Panama. Related searches around Sound of Freedom included for Tim Ballard, who is portrayed in the movie as a hero by Passion of the Christ’s Jim Caviezel.
5) John Wick: Chapter 4
Keanu Reeves returning as John Wick and winning his climatic duel against the villainous Marquis Vincent de Gramont took the Lionsgate action pic to fifth spot in the Google Trends table. Search interest for the movie jam packed with mayhem and violence (perfect for a target male demo) peaked in Singapore, followed close behind with Turkey, the U.S. and El Salvador.
6) Avatar: The Way of Water
James Cameron’s long-awaited sequel was preceded by peak searches at the beginning of the year, just after the Dec. 2022 global bow. Interest in the 3D tentpole starring Zoe Saldaña, Sam Worthington, Sigourney Weaver and Stephen Lang peaked in Hungary and Chile.
7) Everything Everywhere All at Once
Proof that Google search data gives insights on possible Oscar winners came with the scrappy indie film from the Daniels (Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert) eventually taking home the best picture trophy at the Academy Awards. Other Oscar wins for Everything Everywhere included for best directing (Daniels), best actress (Michelle Yeoh), best supporting actor (Ke Huy Quan), best supporting actress (Jamie Lee Curtis), original screenplay (Daniels), and editing (Paul Rogers).
8) Gadar 2
The global popularity of the Sunny Deol-starring action adventure pic was confirmed by its strength on the Google search engine. Interest predictably peaked in India, but was strong in Pakistan, where the movie was shot.
9) Creed III
Searches for Michael B. Jordan’s threequel as it stepped into the Google Trends ring peaked in early March, 2023. That’s when Adonis Creed and the boxing drama hit theaters. But the trend line went back up a month later when Creed 3 dropped on VOD.
10) Pathaan
The global appeal of Bollywood star Shah Rukh Khan was underlined when the Indian film Pathaan cracked the top 10 for Google Trends. It helped Yash Raj Films set a worldwide release in 100 markets, including North America, Japan, China and the Gulf.
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