Disney Reclaims U.K., Ireland Box Office Crown in 2024 as Theater Recovery Holds Steady

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In 2024, Disney regained the number one position at the U.K. and Ireland box office, earning a 20.9% market share worth approximately £221 million ($276.4 million) in ticket sales, as reported by Comscore’s annual report.

Disney’s recent success surpasses its 19.2% market share from 2023, driven by three top-earning films – “Inside Out 2” ($74.1 million), “Deadpool & Wolverine” ($71.9 million) and “Moana 2” ($45.5 million), which are still in theaters. Disney’s resurgence is due to a blend of franchise hits, award contenders, and prestige productions like “All of Us Strangers” and “Poor Things.” Additionally, reboots of popular franchises such as “Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes” and “Alien: Romulus” have generated substantial earnings.

Disney’s current success beats its 2023 market share, thanks to movies like “Inside Out 2,” “Deadpool & Wolverine,” and “Moana 2.” This boost comes from a mix of old favorites, new contenders for awards, and high-quality productions like “All of Us Strangers” and “Poor Things.” Plus, the reboots of franchises such as “Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes” and “Alien: Romulus” are doing well too.

Last weekend, Universal Pictures held onto the second spot with a 19.5% market share and earnings of $257.7 million, boasting three films in the top 10. The movies that made it to the list were “Wicked” with $69.6 million, “Despicable Me 4” with $60.8 million, and “Kung Fu Panda 4” with $27.7 million. Warner Bros., last year’s frontrunner, ended up in third place with a 16.4% share of the market and sales totaling $216.5 million. The films driving their success were “Dune: Part II”, which grossed $49.5 million, and “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice” with $32.9 million in receipts.

Last time we checked, the U.K.-Ireland movie market had similar earnings to what was predicted for 2023, amounting to £1.06 billion collectively. However, it’s still lagging behind the pre-pandemic levels of 2019 by 22%. There are positive indications of a comeback as the territory is showing more variety in income streams – the top ten films contributed to only 38.6% of total sales this year, compared to 40.5% in the previous year and 43.8% two years ago.

2024 witnessed an unprecedented change in film releases, as six of the year’s top 10 money-spinners premiered in the last two months. Deviating from the norm of summer-dominated scheduling, this shift was evident with Universal’s “Wicked” still gracing our screens and predicted to secure the number one position for the year.

Despite a tough start to 2024 for cinema operators in the U.K., as was also the case globally, it’s clear that audiences still love the big-screen experience when there are excellent films on offer. This is demonstrated by the increased attendance we saw during the summer and towards the end of last year,” remarked Phil Clapp, head of the U.K. Cinema Association.

In 2024, the movie distribution scene exhibited indications of becoming more democratic, as 180 distinct production companies launched films compared to 164 in 2023. This trend suggests a decrease in the market share held by the top 10 distributors, which dropped from 91.5% in the previous year to 89.5%. This downward shift hints at an expanding arena for independent production companies.

The earnings from homegrown British and Irish movies, as well as collaborative productions, nearly doubled, reaching a total of £246.3 million, accounting for about 23% of the overall revenue. Studiocanal spearheaded this trend with successful films like “Paddington in Peru,” which is still screening and projected to surpass its 2014 predecessor’s earnings of £38 million.

The movie exhibition industry demonstrated its robustness as cinemas opened in four different countries, featuring key locations from Everyman, Odeon, Picturehouse, and Vue. Many venues that were initially planned to close found a second chance under operators like Omniplex and Merlin, proving that there’s still confidence in theatrical screenings.

As a passionate cinephile, I’ve noticed a remarkable surge in the number of new and re-released films hitting the silver screen this year. We’re talking about 1,114 new releases and 200 saturation releases – figures that outshine pre-2020 levels! This robust pipeline seems to promise exciting growth opportunities for cinema lovers like me in the future.

The theatrical window might be shorter than it was before the pandemic, but it appears to have found its footing again as distributors are leaning towards “cinema first” release strategies once more. The return to this approach brings a sense of normalcy and excitement back into our cinematic experiences.

Moreover, the annual National Cinema Day has become a much-anticipated event on my calendar, offering a festive boost in August that ignites audience engagement like never before! It’s moments like these that remind us all just how special our shared love for cinema truly is.

Andy Leyshon, head of the Film Distributors’ Association, commented: “Achieving box office equivalence with 2023 indicates a generally good performance for the U.K. and Ireland’s movie market. Among the many high points, 2024 faced some difficulties, but the past few months demonstrate that people still love going to the cinema and are eager to watch an array of diverse films.

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2025-01-06 18:17