美國電影總是居於台灣影院票房的前幾名，此篇論文的目的為，找出為什麼台灣人比較喜歡到電影院觀賞美國電影而非國片。此外，眾多研究中也指出，電影評論對於觀眾有一定的影響程度，故此研究也特別針對電影評論此部分做研究，進而探討電影評論對於台灣觀影者的影響。

這篇研究使用質性研究方法，並且使用質性研究中的半結構性深度訪談之模式進行。此研究總共訪談了十位介於 20 歲至 40 歲的台灣人。

此研究發現，美國電影成功的因素在於其劇情;此研究也發現了國片的弱勢之處，像是電影的種類太狹隘，資金不足等等。再者，此研究也顯示台灣人前往電影院的觀影動機為為了體驗聲光效果以及度過悠閒時光。研究結果顯示，影響台灣人在電影院選擇其電影的前三大因素為口碑、電影明星以及電影評論，由此得知，電影評論及從眾效應確實對於觀眾有一定的影響力。

American movies are always leading the box office in Taiwan cinemas. The purpose
of this research is to find out the reason and why Taiwanese cinemagoers prefer watching
US movies instead of Taiwanese movies. Many studies show that movie reviews have a
certain influence on audiences. Thus, this research also investigated the influence of
movie reviews on Taiwanese audiences.

This study used a qualitative method, was conducted in semi-structured In-depth
Interviews, and interviewed ten Taiwanese aged 20 to 40 years old.

The finding indicates that the success of American movies is about the plot. The
result also shows the weaknesses of Taiwanese movies. Such as the genre of movies being
too narrow, the limited budget, etc. Moreover, the motivations for Taiwanese going to
cinemas are experiencing the sound and visual effects and spending leisure time. The top
three factors influencing Taiwanese cinemagoers’ decision-making are word-of-mouth,
movie stars, and movie reviews. Furthermore, it also indicates that movie reviews and the
bandwagon effect do influence audiences.

Thesis Validation Letter ................................................................................ i
Acknowledgments............................................................................................................ ii
摘要................................................................................................................................. iii
Abstract............................................................................................................................ iv
Chapter 1. Introduction..................................................................................................... 1
1.1 Motivation for the research................................................................................. 1
1.2 What influence audience’s movie selection in the cinema ................................. 2
Chapter 2. Literature Review............................................................................................ 4
2.1 Motivation for watching movies in cinemas...................................................... 4
2.2 Audiences’selection ways.................................................................................. 4
2.3 Bandwagon effect influences movie selection ................................................... 5
2.4 Film reviews....................................................................................................... 9
Type of film reviews......................................................................................... 9
Review platforms in Taiwan........................................................................... 10
2.5 Taiwan cinema market.......................................................................................11
2.6 The strength of American movies.................................................................. 16
2.7 Taiwanese movies rejuvenation........................................................................ 19
Chapter 3. Research Methodology ................................................................................. 24
3.1 Choice of research method ............................................................................... 24
3.2 Research Design ............................................................................................... 24
3.3 Research Procedure .......................................................................................... 25
3.4 Ethics statement................................................................................................ 26
Chapter 4. Discussion and Findings............................................................................... 27
4.1 Motivation for going to the cinema .................................................................. 27
4.2 The influential factors of movie selection ........................................................ 28
4.3 Plot is the key to the movie .............................................................................. 30
4.4 Thoughts on Taiwanese movies........................................................................ 31
4.5 Movie Review effects....................................................................................... 35
Chapter 5. Conclusions................................................................................................... 38
5.1 Conclusion........................................................................................................ 38
5.2 Limitations & Recommendations..................................................................... 41
References ...................................................................................................................... 43
Appendix 1. List of Interviewees ................................................................................... 51
Appendix 2. Interview Outline and Questions............................................................... 55
Appendix 3. Interview Transcript................................................................................... 58
Appendix 3-1. Interview Transcript - Janny........................................................... 58
Appendix 3-2. Interview Transcript - A-Dan ......................................................... 62
Appendix 3-3. Interview Transcript - Y ................................................................. 66
Appendix 3-4. Interview Transcript – Parker......................................................... 70
Appendix 3-5. Interview Transcript – Eric............................................................. 74
Appendix 3-6. Interview Transcript – Lu ............................................................... 77
Appendix 3-7. Interview Transcript – Bob............................................................. 80
Appendix 3-8. Interview Transcript – Amy............................................................ 83
Appendix 3-9. Interview Transcript – Xiao-Pan .................................................... 86
Appendix 3-10. Interview Transcript – Lee, Mei-Chen ......................................... 90
Appendix 4. Interview Protocol ..................................................................................... 94
Appendix 4.1 Interview Protocol - Janny............................................................... 94
Appendix 4.2 Interview Protocol – A-Dan ........................................................... 96
Appendix 4.3 Interview Protocol - Y ..................................................................... 98
Appendix 4.4 Interview Protocol – Parker........................................................... 100
Appendix 4.5 Interview Protocol – Eric............................................................... 102
Appendix 4.6 Interview Protocol – Lu ................................................................. 104
Appendix 4.7 Interview Protocol – Bob............................................................... 106
Appendix 4.8 Interview Protocol – Amy.............................................................. 108
Appendix 4.9 Interview Protocol – Xiao-Pan .......................................................110
Appendix 4.10 Interview Protocol – Lee, Mei-Chen ............................................112

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