Latest figures released by the BFI confirm 2011 as a record-breaking year for British films at the UK box office.
The success of films such as The King’s Speech, the Inbetweeners Movie and Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy saw British independent films take an unprecedented 13.5 per cent share of UK box office. Taken with major British productions such as the final Harry Potter movie and Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows, that success saw all British films take a box office share of 36.2 per cent, up from 24 per cent in 2010.
Commenting on these figures, CEA Chief Executive Phil Clapp said:
“The performance of British films last year confirms the key argument we made to the Panel leading the recent Film Policy Review, namely that when UK audiences are presented with high quality British films, they will turn out in huge numbers. The challenge is to ensure that that supply of movies contiues and finds its way to the big screen.
The CEA lloks forward to working with industry partners to help ensure that happens and that awareness amongst the public of this success story continues. With a slate for the coming year that includes British films as diverse as Streetdance 2 3D, Welcome to the Punch, Skyfall, Great Expectations, Batman: The Dark Knight Rises, The Sweeney, 360, Snow White and the Huntsman, Shadow Dancer, Now Is Good and World War Z, I think we all have reason to be optimistic.”