The UK box office is expected to reach over £1 billion in 2025, following a decline in sales compared to the previous year
A research company called Omdia predicts that the UK box office will drop to £931 million in 2024 because of the Hollywood strikes, but the release of new blockbuster films is expected to help the recovery.
The UK box office is expected to exceed £1 billion next year for the first time in six years, but cinema leaders believe it will take until 2026 for moviegoing to return to levels seen before the pandemic.
The strikes by Hollywood actors and writers last summer delayed the release of many big movies, slowing the expected recovery. As a result, Omdia forecasts a slight drop in the UK box office, from £978 million in 2023 to £931 million in 2024. This will be the first decline since 2020, when cinemas were closed due to Covid.
The strikes have caused financial difficulties for cinema operators trying to bring back moviegoers after the pandemic. During that time, Cineworld, the UK’s largest cinema chain, went into bankruptcy protection in the US and later reduced its UK operations to deal with its large debts.
“We knew this year wouldn’t be the best, and it would be worse than last year because of the strikes,” said David Hancock, Omdia’s chief media and entertainment analyst. “The issue is, without a steady flow of films, people lose interest and forget to go to the movies. The pandemic completely broke the habit of going to the cinema regularly. It takes time to get people back. It’s hard because it keeps getting interrupted.”
Still, this year has seen some big successes, like Deadpool & Wolverine becoming the highest-grossing R-rated film ever, and Inside Out 2 becoming the highest-grossing animated movie of all time.
The holiday season’s movie releases have given hope that people might start going to the movies more regularly again. Films like Gladiator II, Wicked, Paddington in Peru, and Moana 2 are expected to bring a lot of joy to the movie industry this Christmas.
Tim Richards, the CEO of the Vue cinema chain, said, “The films we have right now are making this an amazing time. Ticket bookings for Wicked are as high as those for Barbie. December looks like it could be one of the best months we’ve had in the last 10 years, maybe even ever.”
Next year, big movies like the final Mission: Impossible film, a new Superman movie, a live-action version of Minecraft, Wicked 2, the next Jurassic World movie, and Avatar 3 at Christmas are expected to keep the excitement going.
Omdia predicts that the UK box office will make £1.02 billion next year, the highest since 2019, when it reached £1.25 billion.
“I’m hopeful that 2025 will be more steady,” said Hancock. “It might be the first year we can truly say this is where attendance is after Covid.”
While the number of visitors is expected to increase each year, from 121 million in 2024 to 129 million in 2025, this is still much lower than 2019’s 176 million.
A lot of the pressure on the UK cinema industry is due to problems at Cineworld, which also owns the Picturehouse chain.
As part of a global restructuring, Cineworld, which had around 110 locations in the UK and Ireland, closed five cinemas. Twenty more are uncertain due to tough talks with landlords about lowering rent.
Companies like Odeon, Vue, and Omniplex, which runs 43 cinemas in the UK and Ireland, are taking over Cineworld’s locations after Cineworld’s deal with landlords ended.
“Everyone has been focusing on Cineworld, but what happened there is something unusual,” said one industry expert. “It’s a rare event in the market and doesn’t reflect the overall situation or the industry’s recovery.”
As more people show interest in going to the movies, companies like Odeon and Vue are continuing to invest in improving the cinema experience. They are adding features like reclining seats and better projectors and sound systems to offer a more premium experience.
Richards said, “A lot of money is being invested. It shows how much we believe in the industry, but next year won’t be a ‘recovery’ year. There are some great movies coming, but not enough.”
Cinema owners still believe the investment will pay off, hoping moviegoers will return over time.
The UK now ranks sixth in the world for the number of premium screens, after China, the US, Canada, Germany, and Japan.
With more movies coming out in 2026, there’s hope that big blockbusters will attract audiences more than ever.
Movies planned for release include Avengers: Doomsday, Robert Pattinson’s return in The Batman Part II, and family-friendly films like Shrek 5, Toy Story 5, Jumanji 3, and a live-action Moana.
Richards added, “We haven’t had a full year of films yet, but that will come in 2026, and that will be the real test.”
Published: 27th December 2024
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