Exploring the appeal of villainous characters in film-induced tourism: perceived charismatic leadership and justice sensitivity

Film-induced tourism, a valuable marketing tool, has seen increased importance for post-pandemic tourism recovery. The rise of digital streaming platforms has expanded the reach of films and television, making characters pivotal in global tourism marketing. While most research focuses on positive character portrayals, this study investigates the often-overlooked appeal of villainous characters in driving tourism. Existing literature primarily examines the positive impacts of decent characters, overlooking the potential of captivating villains to attract audiences. This interdisciplinary study bridges film studies (character arc theory and reception aesthetics), marketing research (emotion contagion theory), and tourism studies (place attachment theory) to understand how perceived charismatic leadership in villainous characters influences tourist behavior. The study specifically focuses on Gao Qiqiang, the villainous character from the popular Chinese drama *The Knockdown*, and its impact on viewers' emotional responses, place attachment, and subsequent travel intentions. The research aims to determine how perceived charismatic leadership influences emotions, examines the moderating role of justice sensitivity, compares the impacts of different emotions on place attachment and visit intention, and offers practical recommendations for film tourism stakeholders.

The literature review covers several key areas. First, it examines film-induced tourism and the impact of digital streaming platforms on its global reach. Digital platforms have eliminated geographical barriers, enabling widespread emotional connection with destinations through film narratives and characters. Second, it delves into the concept of perceived charismatic leadership, drawing upon organizational behavior studies. The research highlights that charismatic leadership, characterized by extraordinary qualities and the ability to inspire followers, is crucial in both heroic and villainous characters. Examples from various films (e.g., *Wall Street*, *The Godfather*, *Batman: The Dark Knight*) illustrate this point. Third, emotion contagion theory is discussed, emphasizing the spread of emotions between individuals through mimicry and synchronization. The role of emotional contagion in film viewing, where audiences are 'infected' by characters' emotions, is highlighted. Previous research on film-induced tourism emphasizes the importance of characters' traits, including cuteness, fantasy, and cultural meanings, in shaping tourist behavior. However, this study focuses on the less-explored personality trait of charismatic leadership. Fourth, the concept of place attachment, including place dependence and place identity, is explored within the context of film-induced tourism. Media exposure is shown to foster place attachment, with film characters often becoming central to developing an emotional connection with locations. Finally, the paper considers reception aesthetics and justice sensitivity. Reception aesthetics theory emphasizes how personal experiences and values shape audience interpretation of films. Justice sensitivity, an individual's concern for justice, is introduced as a potential moderator of emotional responses to villainous characters. The paper discusses the influence of justice-related themes in films and how justice-sensitive individuals might react differently to unjust actions depicted onscreen.

This quantitative study employed a self-administered online questionnaire distributed to 532 participants who had watched *The Knockdown* but not yet visited Jiangmen (the filming location). The questionnaire included scales measuring perceived charismatic leadership (five dimensions: strategic vision, personal risk, environmental sensitivity, sensitivity to member needs, and unconventional behavior), emotions (pleasure, arousal, admiration), place attachment (place identity and place dependence), visit intention, and justice sensitivity. Data were collected using an online panel survey company in China from April 1st to 25th, 2023. To minimize common method bias, item order was randomized. Questionnaires with completion times under 3.5 minutes were excluded, resulting in 532 valid responses. Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) was used to analyze the data, given the model's complexity (high-order independent variable and moderating variable). The minimum sample size for PLS-SEM, based on the ten-time rule, was 490, fulfilling the sample size requirement. Harman's one-factor test and Variance Inflation Factor (VIF) were used to assess common method bias. A two-stage approach was used to assess the reliability and convergent validity of the high-order construct, perceived charismatic leadership. The Fornell-Larcker criterion and HTMT analysis were used to assess discriminant validity. Bootstrapping (5000 resamples) was employed to test the significance of hypotheses, including direct and indirect effects and moderating effects.

The findings support several key hypotheses. First, perceived charismatic leadership positively influenced pleasure, arousal, and admiration emotions, with admiration showing the strongest effect. This empirically validates character arc theory and charismatic leadership theory in film narratives and their impact on emotional contagion. Second, the relationship between emotions and visit intention was complex and mediated by place attachment. Pleasure emotion positively influenced place dependence but not place identity. Arousal and admiration emotions positively affected both aspects of place attachment. Arousal emotion and place attachment (both dimensions) significantly and positively predicted visit intention, while pleasure and admiration did not directly predict visit intention. This highlights the importance of place attachment as an intermediary role. Third, justice sensitivity negatively moderated the relationship between perceived charismatic leadership and all three emotions. Individuals with higher justice sensitivity experienced less positive emotions toward the villainous character, even with high perceived charismatic leadership. Simple slope analysis visualized these moderating effects. Finally, indirect path analysis showed significant mediation effects of place attachment in the relationships between emotions and visit intention, demonstrating the crucial role of psychological responses in influencing behavior.

The findings address the research question by demonstrating a significant relationship between perceived charismatic leadership in villainous characters, emotional contagion in viewers, place attachment, and visit intention. The study provides empirical evidence for the often-overlooked potential of villainous characters in film-induced tourism, suggesting that charismatic villains can be powerful marketing tools. The moderating effect of justice sensitivity highlights the importance of considering audience values and cultural context when utilizing villainous characters in tourism promotion. The results extend existing literature on film-induced tourism by providing a more nuanced understanding of the emotional mechanisms and the role of place attachment in shaping tourist behavior. The study bridges the gap between film narrative theory and tourism marketing, offering valuable insights for both screenwriters and tourism marketers.

This study makes several significant contributions. It empirically validates the role of perceived charismatic leadership in villainous characters as a driver of film-induced tourism. It reveals the complex interplay between emotions, place attachment, and visit intention. It highlights the moderating role of justice sensitivity in shaping audience response. Future research could explore cross-cultural variations, examine other media types beyond police dramas, and include data from actual film tourists to further refine the model and explore longitudinal effects.

The study's limitations include its focus on one specific Chinese drama and audience, limiting the generalizability of findings to other cultural contexts and media genres. The reliance on self-reported data may introduce potential biases. Future research should address these limitations by employing a more diverse sample and potentially integrating qualitative methods to gain richer insights.