British Cinemas Set To Break £1B Again

So say distributors and exhibitors, who are confident that 2010’s box office will match last year’s £1 billion total. Last year’s £1,054,351,651 box office total was accompanied by a rise in ticket sales. There were 170 million tickets sold for UK cinemas in 2009 – the best year since 2004’s record-breaking 176 million tickets sold. According to Nielsen EDI, 2009’s box office total was 11% higher than the final tally for 2008. While no single film could compete with the £69 million grossed by Mamma Mia!, Warner Bros’ Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince was the top performer. It grossed more than £50.7 million. Fox’s Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs was in second place at £35 million. Disney’s Up took third with £34.3 million.