Matrix Fails To Reload Cinema Admissions In May
UK cinema admissions remained virtually static year on year during May at 13.8 million, despite the highly anticipated release of The Matrix Reloaded.
The latest figures from the Cinema Advertising Association (CAA) show cinema admissions averaged 3.12 million a week during the month, reflecting a plateau in the recent growth enjoyed by the medium.
May’s admissions were dominated by sequels and the long-awaited Matrix Reloaded, starring Keanu Reeves, took £20.7 million in just three weeks to become the second biggest film of the year so far. It is expected that the third Matrix instalment, due to be released later this year, will also make the top ten films of 2003.
The second film to top the box office chart in May was also a sequel and X-Men 2 took an impressive £5.9 million during its opening weekend. Throughout May the film took £19.4 million to become the third largest grossing movie of the year to date.
Other strong performers included Johnny English, which took £4.5 million in May and £18.8 million in the first five months of this year to become the fourth largest film of 2003 so far.
Debbie Chalet, president of the CAA, commented: “The blockbuster films are delivering admissions and box office, the excellent performance of X-Men 2 and Matrix Reloaded implies the summer blockbusters will perform strongly.”
She continued: “It will be an action packed summer with Charlie’s Angels: Full Throttle, The Hulk, Terminator 3 and the remake of the Italian Job. 2003 will also finish well with Finding Nemo, which has broken box office records in the US, the third Matrix film and the final Lord Of The Rings film. With such high quality and diverse film product, we are able to deliver big audiences as well as highly targeted packages across every demographic.”
New analysis from Screen Digest suggests that the full scale roll-out of digital cinema installations could begin as early as next year. Digital cinema advertising is expected to double by the end of 2003 as operators make a priority out of the provision of low-cost networked projectors (see Digital Advertising Kickstarts Cinematic Revolution).
CAA: 0207 534 6363
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