Star Wars Boosts Cinema Audiences In May

The UK’s film fans were out in force in May, with the latest figures from the Cinema Advertising Association revealing a 0.3% increase in visits year on year, due mainly to the huge success of Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith.

The sci-fi epic was by far the highest grossing film of the month, taking £26.8 million during May, despite launching fairly late, on the 19th.

The movie has already surpassed the £37.5 million final box office total of its precursor, Star Wars: Attack of the Clones. However, it looks unlikely to match the success of Star Wars: The Phantom Menace, which peaked at £51 million.

The success of Star Wars helped May’s admissions achieve an increase of 0.3% year on year, prevented from rising higher by 2004’s release of Harry Potter & The Prisoner Of Azkaban, Van Helsing, Troy and The Day After Tomorrow during May.

Second place in May’s box office went to the big screen adaptation of Douglas Adams’ book, Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy. Released on 29 April, the film had taken £10.2 million by the end of May, an impressive figure taking into account the sci-fi competition from Star Wars during the month.

Kingdom of Heaven secured third place at the box office during May, as the film, staring Orlando Bloom and Liam Neeson, secured takings of £7.2 million.

Total adspend was up on the previous month in May, reaching £10.8 million. The top three advertiser categories were Drink, Telecommunications and Food. Orange continues to be cinemas biggest spender, with their out-of-reel sponsorship bringing in £1.2 million, with Nivea for Men and San Miguel completing the top spots, spending £0.7 million and £0.6 million respectively.

Several high-profile films look set to generate large box office takings over the coming months, with War of the Worlds, Steven Spielberg’s newest sci-fi film starring Tom Cruise, promising to make an impact, while comedy animation Madagascar also looks set for success, particularly amongst young viewers.

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