Cinema admission and box office figures just released for 2010 show that it was another strong year for UK cinema-going, with admissions of over 169 million and box office showing a 4.2 per cent increase on 2009.
Total admissions to UK cinemas in 2010 stood at 169,249,839. While 2.4 per cent down on the recent high point of 2009, this still reflects a continued strong showing for UK cinemas, which remain on an upward curve over the last decade.
Box office for the year was up almost 5 per cent at £988,342,310 (UK exc. Republic of Ireland).
Commenting on the figures, CEA Chief Executive Phil Clapp said:
“I think we all recognised that 2009 was going to be tough to follow, in particular given the incredible success of Avatar at the end of that year. To once again see approaching 170 million cinema admissions is a huge achievement, especially in the face of the competing draw of the World Cup in the summer and the dreadful weather at the tail-end of the year which saw a 25 per cent impact on cinema audiences across the UK.
But a strong and varied slate of movies has proved the continuing love affair between the UK public and the big screen.
During 2010, films such as Inception, Alice in Wonderland, Toy Story 3 and the first instalment of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows engaged and entranced audiences. And 3D continued to be a major driver of admissions and box office.
Looking ahead to the slate planned for the next twelve months – which includes movies such as: Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides; The Hangover 2; X-Men: First Class, Cars 2; Transformers 3; The Adventures of Tin Tin: The Secret of the Unicorn; Breaking Dawn: and the final instalment of Harry Potter – I think we can be hopeful that 2011 will be another hugely successful and entertaining year for the industry and audiences alike.”