August Cinema Admissions Out In The Cold

Cinema admissions for August 2002 totalled 15.9 million, down 2.2 million on the same period the previous year, according to the latest figures from the Cinema Advertising Association (CAA).

Despite this seasonal dip, August was a summer of sequels and the January to August 2002 period was up 16% year-on-year. Men In Black 2 took £4.8m on its opening weekend and topped the August box-office chart. This was closely followed by the third Austin Powers film, Goldmember and Stuart Little 2, which rose up the box-office chart taking £5.2 million during August.

At the end of August the British Board Of Film Classification announced that children under the age of 12 will be allowed entrance to films which carry a 12A certificate as long as they are accompanied by an adult. This move followed several councils including North Norfolk, Solihull and Tameside in Greater Manchester over-ruling the 12 rating of the Spiderman film, allowing children to watch it. The CAA is hoping the new certificate, which is the first new British film rating for 13 years, will increase cinema admissions.

Vice President of the CAA, Christine Costello, commented: “We welcome the new 12A certificate, which increases the box office potential of many films on release in forthcoming months, such as Bond: Die Another Day.”

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