Brits turn to post-apocalyptic films for comfort throughout pandemic

Defiant Brits have been coping with the stress of the coronavirus pandemic… by watching loads of films about the end of the world and zombie apocalypse on streaming service NOW TV. 

Post-apocalyptic films have seen a monumental rise in viewing on the service since February with Brits turning to zombie-slaying, flesh eating and all-round destructive characters for a little light relief.

Topping the list of most watched lockdown movies, After Earth saw an incredible 452% surge in views between February and March, whilst Rise of the Planet of the Apes increased 138% from March to April and The World’s End sprinted faster than Nick Frost from a zombie, up 85.5% between February and March.

A quarter (24%) of Brits feel that watching films that depict the end of the world, major disasters, and/or apocalypses have made the reality of the Coronavirus pandemic easier to cope with. In fact, world ending film fans were more likely to find it ‘easy’ to cope with lockdown (72% vs 66% of non-world ending film fans) and these fans say they think they will feel more mentally and emotionally resilient in the case of a second wave (57% vs 42%).

Aston spoke to Jo Hemmings, behavioural psychologist to discuss Brits’ morbid fascination with the post-apocalyptic, and even how this can provide us with an escape. 

Photo by Kilyan Sockalingum on Unsplash