Cinema audiences down

Numbers attending British cinemas have dropped for the first time since 1998, it has emerged today.

16:11 04 March 2004

Numbers attending British cinemas have dropped for the first time since 1998, it has emerged today.

The Film Council revealed today that in 2003 there were almost nine million fewer admissions.

In 2002 a record 176 million cinema tickets were sold - this number dropped to 167.3 million last year.

Despite the drop, this figure is still the second highest in 30 years.

Over the last few years cinema going has undergone a rebirth, with blockbusters like The Lord of The Rings and the Harry Potter films driving growth.

The Film Council remains upbeat despite the five per cent drop.

A spokesman said: 'It's too soon to say whether it's the start of a downward trend or simply a blip. The fact is, 2003 was the second best year in 30 years at the UK box office.'

He added: 'It could well reflect the fact that some big blockbusters didn't perform as well in the UK or abroad as might have been expected.'

Admissions dropped to a record low in 1984 when they stood at just 54 million - this coincided with the peak of the home video industry.

There was good news for British films in 2003, with Love Actually, Calendar Girls and Johnny English making the top ten largest grossing films.

'In a year when there's neither a Bond or Harry Potter release, it's good news that there are still three British films in the top 10, which is an increase on the previous year,' a film council spokesman said.

'Return Of The King' took the most money in 2003, at 54 million; 'Finding Nemo' was second with 37 million; and Brit flick 'Love Actually' came in third at 35 million.