‘Barbenheimer’ Powered 2023 U.K., Ireland Box Office to $1.3 Billion, 24% Below Pre-Pandemic Levels
05.01.2024 - 16:35
/ variety.com
Naman Ramachandran The U.K. and Ireland box office revenue improved 8.3% from £980.5 million ($1.25 billion) in 2022 to £1.06 billion ($1.35 billion) in 2023, according to numbers released by Comscore. However, the number was 23.5% below the 2019 pre-pandemic total of £1.35 billion ($1.72 billion).
2023, the first full year since 2019 without any COVID-19 restrictions, marked the first post-pandemic year to achieve over £1 billion. Prior to the pandemic, annual box office had exceeded £1.3 billion in each of the five years through 2019. Of the five nations and regions making up the U.K.
and Ireland territory, the Republic of Ireland had the strongest year-on-year growth, with box office 13% higher than 2022. Box office in Wales rose by 10%, with Northern Ireland up 9% and England and Scotland both rising by 8%. The number of new releases in 2023 soared to 1,013 up from 929 in 2022 and 938 in 2019.
2023 saw an improvement in the number of blockbuster releases, as COVID-driven production delays receded. The number of saturation releases (films playing in more than 250 cinemas) that had from 186 in 2019 to 135 in 2022 improved to 174 in 2023. The U.S.
writers’ and actors’ strikes caused some blockbuster titles to be pushed into 2024 to allow for shoots to finish and promotional activity to resume, including “Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire,” “Kraven The Hunter” and “Dune: Part II,” but this had a much smaller impact on the box office than did the earlier COVID-19 shutdowns, the Comscore report notes. The U.K. is undergoing a cost of living crisis, but this did not have an effect on cinema-going, the report observes, with exhibitors offering a range of special offers and discounts.
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