April’s Cinema Admissions Reach A 26 Year High

Cinema admissions in April reached an unprecedented 14 million according to the latest CAA figures. With an average of 3.26m admissions per week April 2001 figures were the highest for 26 years.

April’s soaring admissions were largely due to the release of the widely successful Bridget Jones’ Diary, which dominated the box office generating a three day opening revenue of £4.6 m.

Family film attendance was also high in April with Rugrats in Paris and Spy Kids performing strongly over the Easter period. Family films have seen an 82% increase in regular cinema attendance over the last ten years (see Feature: Will Little Kids Be The Next Big Thing For Cinema Advertising?) and their growing popularity has allowed new advertisers such as Nissan and Monster Munch to take full advantage of the growing number of families visiting the cinema.

Vice president of the CAA, Christine Costello said: “With a broadening cinema profile it is now far easier to target specific audiences in an environment that makes commercials more memorable.”

The industry is now on course for a year end total of 148 million cinema admissions with the success of Bridget Jones’ Diary expected to continue into May.The Mummy Returns, which opened on May 18 is expected to bolster May’s cinema admissions against last year and looks set to repeat its US opening weekend success of $68m.

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