UK and Irish cinema ticket sales have surged to their highest level since 2019, reaching £1.07 billion in 2025, with the movie adaptation of Minecraft leading the box office as the top-grossing film of the year.
The figures from Comscore reveal a modest increase in revenue compared to 2024, when it stood at £1.06 billion, but also show a slight decrease in the number of films released, with only 1,092 movies shown in cinemas this year, down from 1,124 in 2024. Despite this, the industry has seen a significant recovery since the pandemic, which had devastated cinema ticket sales as early as 2020.
The data suggests that production pipelines have bounced back and are now exceeding pre-pandemic levels, with 938 films released in 2019 compared to just 1,092 this year. However, analysts also note that there is a trend towards "saturation" releases, where the same film plays in multiple venues simultaneously, with 224 such releases recorded in 2025.
The most successful film of the year was Minecraft, which grossed £56.88 million at UK and Irish box offices, while also performing well internationally. The gaming adaptation took $423.9 million in North America and $958.3 million worldwide, although it trailed behind Chinese animation Ne Zha 2.
British productions fared relatively well, with Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy finishing as the most successful film at UK and Irish box offices with £46.4 million. The movie also performed better than other British films, such as Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale and 28 Years Later.
Event cinema releases were another highlight of the year, taking in £44 million (or 4.1% of total revenue), with notable performers including Six the Musical, which took £6.2 million for its film adaptation. Although this was below the record-breaking total set by Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour in 2023, it still represented a strong showing for "event cinema" releases.
According to Phil Clapp, CEO of the UK Cinema Association, while the figures may show only modest growth year-on-year, 2025 marked a significant step forward in the industry's recovery from recent challenges. He expressed optimism about future progress and the potential for further growth in the coming months.
The figures from Comscore reveal a modest increase in revenue compared to 2024, when it stood at £1.06 billion, but also show a slight decrease in the number of films released, with only 1,092 movies shown in cinemas this year, down from 1,124 in 2024. Despite this, the industry has seen a significant recovery since the pandemic, which had devastated cinema ticket sales as early as 2020.
The data suggests that production pipelines have bounced back and are now exceeding pre-pandemic levels, with 938 films released in 2019 compared to just 1,092 this year. However, analysts also note that there is a trend towards "saturation" releases, where the same film plays in multiple venues simultaneously, with 224 such releases recorded in 2025.
The most successful film of the year was Minecraft, which grossed £56.88 million at UK and Irish box offices, while also performing well internationally. The gaming adaptation took $423.9 million in North America and $958.3 million worldwide, although it trailed behind Chinese animation Ne Zha 2.
British productions fared relatively well, with Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy finishing as the most successful film at UK and Irish box offices with £46.4 million. The movie also performed better than other British films, such as Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale and 28 Years Later.
Event cinema releases were another highlight of the year, taking in £44 million (or 4.1% of total revenue), with notable performers including Six the Musical, which took £6.2 million for its film adaptation. Although this was below the record-breaking total set by Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour in 2023, it still represented a strong showing for "event cinema" releases.
According to Phil Clapp, CEO of the UK Cinema Association, while the figures may show only modest growth year-on-year, 2025 marked a significant step forward in the industry's recovery from recent challenges. He expressed optimism about future progress and the potential for further growth in the coming months.
The cinema ticket sales are making a comeback, and it's awesome to see that people are flocking back to theaters. It's a great sign for the industry, especially after the pandemic hit them hard. With more movies being made and released, I'm excited to see what 2026 will bring! 
I'm loving this! The fact that UK and Irish cinema ticket sales have reached their highest level since 2019 is, like, super exciting news 
! It's awesome to see the industry bouncing back after the pandemic 
It's also cool to see British productions doing well, like Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy 
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. It's not just about the numbers, though - it's about people coming together to enjoy some quality entertainment time with friends and family 
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it's like a gaming phenomenon or something. but seriously though, £1.07 billion is still a big number 
and it's great to see cinema ticket sales recovering after that pandemic hit everything hard 
what's weird tho is how they're releasing so many movies at the same time 
£1.07 billion is insane! I'm glad to see the industry is bouncing back, but I gotta wonder if it's a bit oversaturated with all these simultaneous releases 
. Can't wait to see what 2026 brings! 
and I heard they're planning to make more movies from popular games, this is gonna get crazy 
I'm not surprised to see cinema ticket sales go up after everything that happened during the pandemic. It makes sense that people would want to get out and have a night at the movies again 
. It's also cool to see British productions doing well, like Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy, that's a classic 
I guess what they mean by saturation is that too many films are playing at the same time which can make it hard for movies to stand out. But like, isn’t that just a normal thing that happens in any given year? 
Anyway, it's still nice to see cinema ticket sales doing well again after all those pandemic years 
. I remember when I was younger and going to the cinema all the time with my friends, it's always been a fun experience. Now that I'm retired 
anyway, it's kinda cool that Minecraft took the lead at UK & Irish box office - who knew a game would make such a killer movie? 
anyhoo, glad to see event cinema releases still bringing in the dough 
that film must b so much fun 2 watch! 
but i gotta say, £1.07 billion is crazy! like what even is that kinda cash? and minecraft being the top grossing film of the year makes sense, i mean who doesn't love minecraft? 
. But seriously, Phil Clapp's words make sense, the industry is recovering and that's something to be optimistic about 
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. It's awesome to see British productions doing well too, like Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy 
. And event cinema releases are always so much fun - Six the Musical was amazing! 
. I'm glad to hear the industry is bouncing back from the pandemic, it's been a tough few years for cinemas 
. Fingers crossed for even more growth in 2026! 
. event cinema releases are also doing well, that six the musical film adaption was a nice surprise