The CEA has welcomed latest figures confirming that the UK cinema sector put in another strong showing in 2011.
Admissions figures for the full year reached 171,562,192, up 1.4 per cent on 2010 and the second highest annual figure for almost a decade. Taken with record box office of £1,038 million, up over 5 per cent on the previous year, these figures confirm that despite economic difficulties, the cinema remained a prime destination for entertainment.
A year which started off strongly thanks in large part to the success of The King’s Speech also saw British films such as the final Harry Potter instalment and The In Betweeners Movie strike a chord with cinema audiences.
Commenting on these results, CEA Chief Executive Phil Clapp said:
“It is particularly pleasing to see audiences responding to the range of high quality films on offer in cinemas throughout 2011. No-one in the industry takes such success for granted, particularly in times of economic difficulty such as the country has experienced over the last year or so.
Looking forward to 2012, there will again be an attractive slate of films, from The Avengers to The Dark Knoght Rises to the final Twilight Instalmentas well as all of the films already garnering publicity in the run-up to the BAFTAs. UK cinema operators will be doing all they can to ensure as many people as people get to see these films in the best possible place – the big screen.”