22/07/2008

British films last year accounted for more than one in four cinema tickets sold in the UK - or 29 per cent of the total UK box office, up from 19 per cent from the year before. And, worldwide, they were responsible for an estimated $3.3 billion taken at box office - equal to 700 million admissions across the globe and an increase of 50 per cent on 2006’s figure of $2.2 billion.
 
It follows publication of the UK Film Council’s Statistical Yearbook.

Seven of the top 20 films at the UK box office last year were British. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix was the biggest film of the year, earning over £49 million, and the other top British films were The Golden Compass (£26 million), The Bourne Ultimatum (£23 million), Mr Bean’s Holiday (£22 million), Hot Fuzz (£20 million), Stardust (£15 million), St Trinian’s (£12 million) and Atonement (£12 million). 

Together, the top 20 UK films grossed £244 million at the UK box office, an increase of 62 per cent on 2006 (£151 million).
 
The report also highlights the success of Lottery funded films over the past decade. The top three independent UK films of the last ten years – Gosford Park (£12.3million), St Trinian’s (£12.2million) and Bend it like Beckham (£11.6million) – were all co-funded by the UK Film Council.
 
Of the top 200 films at the worldwide box office from 2001-2007, 30 were based on stories and characters created by UK writers.

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