UK and Irish cinema revenues have surged to a post-pandemic high, with A Minecraft Movie reigning supreme at the top of 2025 box office. The figures, released by Comscore, indicate an annual revenue of £1.07 billion in the UK and Ireland, a 1% increase from last year's total of £1.06 billion.
While the number of films released has decreased slightly this year, with 1,092 titles hitting screens compared to 1,124 in 2024, the overall figure is still the highest since 2019, when box office revenues stood at £1.35 billion. The recovery from the pandemic's devastating impact on the sector, which saw revenues plummet to just £323.7 million in 2020, has been steady and impressive, with cinema revenues gradually increasing over the past few years.
The numbers suggest that the film industry is well on its way to regaining pre-pandemic levels of production output, with 938 films released in 2019 compared to 1,092 this year. However, there appears to be a shift towards more strategic releases, with many films playing in over 250 venues simultaneously, or "saturation" releases.
The highest-grossing film of the year in the UK and Ireland was gaming adaptation A Minecraft Movie, which took £56.88 million at the box office. The film's viral impact, including a memorable "chicken jockey" scene, helped propel it to success both domestically and internationally, with $423.9 million taken in North America.
Other British productions also performed well this year, with Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy taking £46.4 million at the box office. Event cinema releases continued to be popular, with a total of £44 million spent on these types of films, including the highest-grossing event cinema release so far this year, which was for the film adaptation of Six the Musical.
Despite this success, the sector still faces challenges, and there is ongoing debate about how to balance the need for more event-driven releases with the pressure to deliver commercially viable films. However, according to Phil Clapp, chief executive of the UK Cinema Association, 2025 marked a significant step forward in the industry's recovery from recent years.
While the number of films released has decreased slightly this year, with 1,092 titles hitting screens compared to 1,124 in 2024, the overall figure is still the highest since 2019, when box office revenues stood at £1.35 billion. The recovery from the pandemic's devastating impact on the sector, which saw revenues plummet to just £323.7 million in 2020, has been steady and impressive, with cinema revenues gradually increasing over the past few years.
The numbers suggest that the film industry is well on its way to regaining pre-pandemic levels of production output, with 938 films released in 2019 compared to 1,092 this year. However, there appears to be a shift towards more strategic releases, with many films playing in over 250 venues simultaneously, or "saturation" releases.
The highest-grossing film of the year in the UK and Ireland was gaming adaptation A Minecraft Movie, which took £56.88 million at the box office. The film's viral impact, including a memorable "chicken jockey" scene, helped propel it to success both domestically and internationally, with $423.9 million taken in North America.
Other British productions also performed well this year, with Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy taking £46.4 million at the box office. Event cinema releases continued to be popular, with a total of £44 million spent on these types of films, including the highest-grossing event cinema release so far this year, which was for the film adaptation of Six the Musical.
Despite this success, the sector still faces challenges, and there is ongoing debate about how to balance the need for more event-driven releases with the pressure to deliver commercially viable films. However, according to Phil Clapp, chief executive of the UK Cinema Association, 2025 marked a significant step forward in the industry's recovery from recent years.
so its finally good news for the cinema industry... £1.07 billion is like woah! 
after all those lockdowns and whatnot, its amazing to see ppl flocking back to cinemas again 
I've seen it a million times already and I'm still not tired of it!
the fact that A MINECRAFT MOVIE IS RULING THE BOX OFFICE RIGHT NOW IS CRAZY! £56.88 MILLION IN UK AND IRELAND ALONE?! THAT'S INSANE! 
event cinema releases are also still going strong, which is great for the industry as a whole! 
. Saturation releases might not be everyone's cup of tea, but hey, it's helped some films like Minecraft Movie do alright 
. What do you guys think about this trend? Should we see more event cinema releases or focus on traditional movies? 
What are the production costs on that one? And what about the impact on the overall cinematic experience? Is this really what people want to see at the cinema? It all seems a bit too calculated to me... 
My only concern is that we might see more saturation releases and less original content... what do you guys think? Should studios focus on bigger, bolder films or keep experimenting with smaller, niche ones? 