Mapping the Intellectual Landscape of Global Film Industry Research: Comprehensive Bibliometric Analysis (2015–2024) using Google Scholar

Abstract

This study presents a bibliometric analysis of global film industry scholarship published between 2015 and 2024, with data collected through early 2025. Drawing on 478 publications and 7,458 citations indexed in Google Scholar, it maps the intellectual structure, thematic clusters, collaborative networks, and geographic distribution of contemporary cinema research. Google Scholar was selected for its broad coverage of interdisciplinary film studies, though its limitations relative to curated databases are acknowledged. Systematic data extraction was conducted using Publish or Perish (PoP) software with Boolean search queries; inclusion criteria prioritized peer-reviewed articles and book chapters directly addressing film industry dynamics. Bibliometric indicators h-index (27), g-index (68), hI,norm (27), and hI,annual (2.45) reflect strong scholarly impact, with 15.06 citations per paper on average. VOSviewer network visualization revealed five thematic clusters: industry structure and global cinema; Chinese and Asian film industries; film marketing and box office economics; gender, diversity, and cultural politics; and technology integration including AI. Geographically, China, South Korea, Nigeria, and India constitute the most active non-Western research foci. Author collaboration networks remain largely fragmented, signalling underexplored opportunities for international partnerships. Theoretically, the study contributes a field-wide structural mapping that connects dispersed strands of cinema scholarship, offering a synthesis framework for scholars, practitioners, and policymakers navigating rapid industry disruption. To the authors' knowledge, no prior study has combined citation metrics, network visualization, and thematic analysis across a comparable corpus of global film industry research over a sustained decade.