Shropshire's silver screeners are flocking to the flicks

Hollywood moguls who once focused their marketing might on Transformers-style blockbusters designed to appeal to action-hungry teenagers now ignore middle aged and 'grey' viewers at their peril.

Four out of 10 people aged over 45 now describe themselves as regular cinema goers, while a quarter of over 60s say they have forked out to see at least one newly released movie on the big screen in the past year. That's a near 300 per cent rise on the same survey a decade ago.

So what does it all mean? That older people are the ones with more time and money to spend on a trip to the pictures, or that the big studios are devoting a greater amount of effort and resources on movies designed to strike a chord with the older generation?

The answer is a little of both – spurred on by the fact that advances in technology mean you don't have to brave the frenzied crowds and popcorn-covered floors of a multi-screen complex to see a film on the big screen these days.

Shropshire is blessed with an eclectic mix of venues. Those who want to catch the latest releases at the earliest possible opportunity still turn out in their droves at Telford's Odeon, Shrewsbury's Cineworld, or Bridgnorth's Majestic, where younger viewers remain the core customer.

The more patient cinemagoers who prefer their Hollywood served with a glass of fine wine and canapes, however, will happily now wait a few weeks until they turn up at luxury venues like the Old Market Hall in Shrewsbury's Square.

Market towns which were once closing their cinemas, like Ludlow, Whitchurch, Much Wenlock and Market Drayton, now have regular movie nights with growing audiences – and it's in these locations that some of the most eye-opening patterns are starting to emerge.

Mark Walmsley, who books the movies shown at Broseley's Birchmeadow Centre, is a typical example. He tells how his discerning audience – largely made up of retired folk – hate bad language, over-the-top verbal or physical violence, and graphic or controversial sex-led storylines.

As a result it's films like The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, Salmon Fishing In The Yemen, Ladies In Lavender and the next scheduled showing, We Bought A Zoo, which become 'sleeper' hits at rural cinemas. What they lack in headline-grabbing box office takings from their opening weekend, they gradually make up for with their longevity and word of mouth recommendation.

And there appears to be a general rule of thumb here – if it has anything more than 12A certificate, it's probably not going to be what these audiences are looking for.

Dustin Hoffman's new stately home saga, Quartet, starring grand old stalwarts of British cinema like Maggie Smith and Tom Courtenay, is likely to be the next big hit on this production line.

Ian Kerry runs the Flicks In The Sticks service, which screens films at more than a dozen village halls across Shropshire.

"Multiplexes aren't for everyone," he says. "We often hear from older viewers that they are too loud, and aimed too much at young people.

"Flicks offers a more relaxed community element, where people can have a chat and a cup of tea with their neighbours. It is often as much a social occasion as it is a movie-watching experience, and is shows that in Shropshire, there is still a community spirit which wants services on its doorstep."

That's why Hollywood legend Julie Christie has become the organisation's patron, saying she is happy to be associated with a group bringing 'quality films' to the big screen.

Tomorrow, hot on the heels of today's Bafta nominations, the contenders are announced for the 85th Academy Awards. Among the favourites for this year's Oscars will be Steven Spielberg's American political history drama Lincoln, Tom Hooper's musical Les Miserables, Kathryn Bigelow's Zero Dark Thirty, chronicling the hunt for Osama Bin Laden, tsunami tearjerker The Impossible, and Ben Affleck's Iranian diplomatic thriller Argo.

And the common theme running through them is a heavyweight, beautifully acted, thought-provoking storyline which doesn't need to be experienced through 3D glasses – or a pair of earmuffs.

"What's been happening over the past couple of years is that there's been a bigger emphasis on making quality films," says Andrew Myers, chief executive of Everyman Cinemas. "Undoubtedly, older audiences recognise quality. They see through films that are not so well made."

And that can only be good news for the British movie-making industry. Alex Stolz of the British Film Institute says: "Where British production generally succeeds is in making richer, deeper, more thought-provoking films. These tend to have quite an older-skewing audience."

In many ways, it is a throwback to the 1940s, when cinema catered for all age-groups, and audiences were 10 times the numbers they are today.

Let us hope so. Anything which heals the growing divide between the young from the old can only benefit our so-called 'Big Society'.

The future, it seems, is bright . . . and not just on Orange Wednesdays.

* You can find news of the latest community film screenings in The Ticket supplement, in the Star every Friday.