British and Irish Cinema Takings Reach a Post-Pandemic Peak as The Minecraft Film Tops 2025 Charts
Cinema revenue across Britain and Ireland has seen its highest annual performance after the pandemic, with A Minecraft Movie closing out 2025 as the number one film of the year.
A Steady Recovery in Revenue
Data from industry analysts show that ticket sales in the UK and Ireland totalled £1.07bn. This shows growth of 1% on 2024’s total of £1.06bn. Meanwhile, there was a slight decrease in the amount of films released: 1,092 in 2025, versus 1,124 in 2024.
This result is the highest total since 2019, which saw £1.35bn in total revenue. That was shortly before the steep decline of the physical cinema box office the following year, to £323.7m, as Covid restrictions took a severe toll. Cinema revenues climbed to £595.5m in 2021, and £980.7m in 2022, only exceeding £1bn in 2023, with a total of £1.06bn.
Pipeline Recovery and Changing Tactics
The count of movies in theaters suggest that the film production cycle, hit both by the pandemic and subsequent film industry strikes in 2023, has recovered. It is, in fact, topping pre-pandemic levels; in 2019, 938 films were released.
Significantly however, a strategic shift appears to be taking place. In 2025, 224 films were recorded as “saturation” releases (playing in over 250 venues simultaneously), versus 200 in 2024 and 188 in 2019. Data indicates that Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale had the widest opening in the UK in 2025, with over 750 cinemas.
2025's Top Film
The highest grossing film of 2025 in the UK and Ireland was the game-to-screen translation A Minecraft Movie. Its viral impact, notably from the “chicken jockey” scene, has led to box office the top spot, with a total of £56.88m.
“Although it saw only a small year-on-year increase in box office, 2025 undoubtedly marked a significant further step in the sector’s recovery after the challenges of recent years. There is considerable hope that the coming months will see notable additional gains.”
The film also led the 2025 North American box office but placed fifth at the worldwide box office, far below the global leader, the Chinese animation Ne Zha 2.
British Productions and Event Cinema
Among UK-made films, the fourth Bridget Jones film, Mad About the Boy, was the most successful at the UK and Irish box office, taking £46.4m. It came well ahead of Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale and 28 Years Later in second and third place.
The figures also highlighted the continuing strength of “event cinema” releases, which took a total of £44m (4.1% of the total). This category included 10 films earning more than £1m. Among these was the record-breaking showing for a stage production; the film of the West End production Six the Musical amassed £6.2m.
