The number of people going to UK cinemas rose by 4 per cent in 2007, according to the recently published UK Film Council Statistical Yearbook 2008.
The report also shows that in 2007, 60 per cent of the British population went to the cinema at least once, with almost 20 per cent seeing at least one film a month.
A total of 162.4 million tickets were sold at the box office, taking £821m – up 8 per cent on 2006, Film Council figures reveal. This bucks the trend amongst other European countries, most of whom saw a downturn in admissions. Even US admissions remained flat over this period.
The Statistical Yearbook, which is in its sixth year, is a rich source of analysis on film in the UK, covering everything from box office figures to employment. The 2008 Yearbook can be downloaded here: UK Film Council Statistical Yearbook.
Commenting on the figures, CEA Chief Executive Phil Clapp said:
“The publication of these figures confirms what we already knew – that 2007 represented a particularly good year for UK cinema-going. With the exciting slate of films scheduled for the Summer and Autumn, many of us hope that 2008 will prove to be as strong if not stronger”.