"People Who Think Outside the Box": British Audiences and Asian Extreme Films

The findings discussed here form part of a larger research project investigating audience responses to Asian Extreme films. The project also includes a small-scale reception study of 295 articles published in the ‘mainstream’ press between 2001 and 2011 (in this context, ‘mainstream’ refers to national daily and weekly newspapers, in print and online); a study of online fan activity that considers eleven forums and twenty-three websites and blogs; and interviews with eight fans and four professionals involved in the distribution and reception of Asian Extreme cinema in the UK. While it is not possible to provide an in-depth analysis of the project findings here, this article explores a specific set of issues relating to notions of fandom that have emerged out of the participants’ responses to the questionnaire.