Cinema admissions continue to soar
Danny Boyle’s Slumdog Millionaire is just one of the films released this year that has helped boost cinema admissions to the highest they’ve been in over seven years.
Latest figures from the Cinema Advertising Association show that admissions for the first half of 2009 stand at more than £83.4 million, which is the most successful six month period for cinema admissions since 2002.
The current record for admissions – set in 2002 – is over £87.7 million, due to the release of box office hits such as Spider-Man, Monsters Inc and Star Wars Episode Two: Attack of the Clones.
This year, however, the homegrown Oscar-winning Slumdog Millionaire still ranks as the most successful film of 2009 in the UK, taking over £31 million in the year to date. Monsters Vs Aliens sits in second place with around £21 million, closely followed by Star Trek with £19 million.
| Rank | Film | Cert | Takings (£ million) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Slumdog Millionaire | 15 | 31.6 |
| 2 | Monsters Vs Aliens | PG | 21.1 |
| 3 | Star Trek | 12A | 19.4 |
| 4 | Bolt | PG | 17.9 |
| 5 | X-Men Origins: Wolverine | 12A | 16.1 |
| 6 | Angels & Demons | 12A | 16.1 |
| 7 | Night at the Museum 2 | PG | 15.4 |
| 8 | Marley & Me | PG | 15.2 |
| 9 | Fast & Furious | 12A | 13.5 |
| 10 | 17 Again | 12A | 11.2 |
June was also a good month for cinemas, with around 12.5 million people visiting the big screen (an increase of 5.6% year on year), due to releases such as Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, Terminator Salvation and The Hangover.
Over the August bank holiday weekend, The Final Destination pulled in £3.6 million, followed by Quentin Tarantino’s new masterpiece – Inglorious Basterds – which took £1.3 million.
| Rank | Film | Cert | Takings (£ million) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Final Destination | 15 | 3.6 |
| 2 | Inglorious Basterds | 18 | 1.3 |
| 3 | Funny People | 15 | 1 |
| 4 | The Time Travelers Wife | 12A | 0.7 |
| 5 | Aliens in the Attic | PG | 0.7 |
| 6 | Harry Potter 6 | 12A | 0.5 |
| 7 | G-Force | PG | 0.5 |
| 8 | The Hurt Locker | 15 | 0.3 |
| 9 | G.I.Joe | 12A | 0.3 |
| 10 | Broken Embraces | 15 | 0.3 |
CAA’s Anna Cremin said: “It’s terrific to see the success of cinema continue throughout 2009 as the UK flocks to the silver screen. This year has seen real diversity in releases from a raft of 3D films with broad appeal such as Monsters Vs Aliens and Bolt to robot rumble blockbusters in Terminator Salvation and Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, while there has also been more dramatic fare with releases like Moon and Public Enemies.
“The next six months look equally promising for cinema’s success. Of course there is the Harry Potter release, but the next few months also hold the Twilight sequel New Moon, James Cameron’s return to the big screen with the 3D sci-fi film Avatar and disaster epic 2012. It seems that even when money is tight, the UK is incredibly dedicated to the cinema experience.”
Box Office data is available each week within the Box Office section of MediaTel.co.uk’s Cinema Database, provided by Nielsen EDI / DCM.