UK and Ireland cinema takings have reached a post-pandemic high as A Minecraft Movie dominated 2025 box office, raking in £56.88m.
The latest figures from Comscore reveal that the UK and Irish box office totalled £1.07bn in 2025, an increase of just 1% on last year's figure of £1.06bn. However, the number of films released has decreased slightly, with 1092 titles hitting the screens compared to 1124 in 2024.
The 2025 box office total is the highest since 2019, when revenues stood at a pre-pandemic level of £1.35bn. The industry's recovery has been steady but slow, with revenue only breaking through the £1bn barrier for the first time in three years in 2023.
Despite this, there are signs that the production pipeline is back in full swing, with 224 "saturation" releases – films playing in over 250 venues at once – compared to 200 in 2024 and 188 in 2019. The likes of Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale showed great appeal, opening across 750 cinemas nationwide.
The top-grossing film of the year was undoubtedly A Minecraft Movie, which stunned audiences with its viral impact and took £56.88m at the UK box office alone. Its success is a testament to the enduring power of gaming adaptations on the big screen.
British productions also fared well in 2025, with Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy proving to be the fourth most successful film of the year, taking £46.4m at the domestic box office.
Event cinema releases continued to prove popular, with ten films exceeding £1m and a total haul of £44m. The West End production Six: The Musical was a standout performer, raking in £6.2m for its theatrical adaptation.
The UK Cinema Association chief executive Phil Clapp hailed the 2025 box office figures as "a significant further step" in the industry's recovery. With optimism on the horizon, it seems that cinema revenues are poised to continue their upward trajectory in the coming months.
The latest figures from Comscore reveal that the UK and Irish box office totalled £1.07bn in 2025, an increase of just 1% on last year's figure of £1.06bn. However, the number of films released has decreased slightly, with 1092 titles hitting the screens compared to 1124 in 2024.
The 2025 box office total is the highest since 2019, when revenues stood at a pre-pandemic level of £1.35bn. The industry's recovery has been steady but slow, with revenue only breaking through the £1bn barrier for the first time in three years in 2023.
Despite this, there are signs that the production pipeline is back in full swing, with 224 "saturation" releases – films playing in over 250 venues at once – compared to 200 in 2024 and 188 in 2019. The likes of Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale showed great appeal, opening across 750 cinemas nationwide.
The top-grossing film of the year was undoubtedly A Minecraft Movie, which stunned audiences with its viral impact and took £56.88m at the UK box office alone. Its success is a testament to the enduring power of gaming adaptations on the big screen.
British productions also fared well in 2025, with Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy proving to be the fourth most successful film of the year, taking £46.4m at the domestic box office.
Event cinema releases continued to prove popular, with ten films exceeding £1m and a total haul of £44m. The West End production Six: The Musical was a standout performer, raking in £6.2m for its theatrical adaptation.
The UK Cinema Association chief executive Phil Clapp hailed the 2025 box office figures as "a significant further step" in the industry's recovery. With optimism on the horizon, it seems that cinema revenues are poised to continue their upward trajectory in the coming months.
The fact that A Minecraft Movie is killing it at the box office is a huge win for gaming adaptations - who knew they could translate so well to the big screen? 
And I've gotta say, 224 saturation releases this year? That's some serious business! It looks like the industry is finally hitting its stride after years of struggle. Can't wait to see what else comes out in the coming months 
I heard from a source (not really lol) that there's a bunch of new IPs in development for films and we might see some amazing adaptations hitting screens soon! A Minecraft Movie raking in £56.88m is insane btw who knew gaming could do so well on the big screen? 
The fact that British productions like Bridget Jones are doing well too is also super cool 
Can't wait to see what 2026 brings! 
... I mean 1092 titles is still a lot more than last year and some years. But at the same time, £1.07bn is still way down from pre-pandemic levels 
. Maybe it's just the fact that gaming adaptations are super popular these days? Like, who doesn't love playing Minecraft for hours on end 
? And I'm curious, what's up with event cinema releases being so successful? Are people really gonna shell out that kind of cash to watch a movie in the West End? 
. I think this bodes well for the cinema industry, which has been pretty slow to recover since the pandemic 
️ i'm glad to see British productions doing well too, especially bridget jones - who wouldn't wanna watch renée zellweger in a rom com again 