[updated] UK cinemas saw box office records tumble for a third consecutive year in 2017.
Latest figures from data company ComScore confirm that UK box office during the year totalled £1,277,878,351 an increase of 2.5 per cent on 2016.
Taken with increased annual admissions of 170,616,775 (up 1.3 per cent on the previous year), 2017 confirmed the UK public’s continuing appetite for the big screen experience.
Like 2016, 2017 offered a broad range of titles to audiences. Four films passed the £40 million milestone (with Paddington 2 expected to by the end of its theatrical run), matching the number for 2016.
The top ten for 2017 was as follows:
- Star Wars: The Last Jedi (Walt Disney): £69.36 million (still on release)
- Beauty And The Beast (Walt Disney): £67.85 million
- Dunkirk (Warner Bros): £53.30 million
- Despicable Me 3 (Universal): £44.31 million (still on release)
- Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 2 (Walt Disney): £38.78 million
- Paddington 2 (StudioCanal): £36.56 million (still on release)
- It (Warner Bros): £29.88 million
- Thor: Ragnarok (Walt Disney): £29.02 million (still on release)
- La La Land (Lionsgate UK): £28.58 million
- Spider-Man: Homecoming (Sony): £28.39 million
Welcoming these latest figures, UK Cinema Association Chief Executive commented:
“Alongside a strong and diverse film slate, today’s box office figures are testament to the unprecedented levels of investment made by UK cinema operators in 2017 in enhancing the big screen experience. From new site openings and refurbishments to technological advancements, these efforts have ensured the sector continues to thrive in the face of new competition from online platforms such as Netflix. It’s clear that the UK public still turns to cinema to get the “wow” experience they can’t enjoy anywhere else.
The growing success story of the UK cinema industry means that it now contributes half a billion pounds to the UK economy each year, employs more than 17,000 people directly and supports countless other local services.
That contribution will continue its upward trend in 2018 when at least 20 new cinema state-of-the-art sites across the UK will open their doors to the public.”