Sales for UK cinemas have taken a knock due to the warmer weather and Englands run of success during the World Cup, despite the release of Hollywood blockbusters Oceans 8 and Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom.
The UK box office took £103m between 1 June and 12 July, down 19 per cent from £128m received during the same period the year before, according to figures from data company comScore.
The decline in ticket sales was attributed to Englands best World Cup performance since 1990 by getting to the semi-final of the tournament, as well as the summer heatwave encouraging UK consumers to stay outdoors and enjoy the sunshine.
Read more: Ocean's 8 doesn't quite live up to 11, but it's on a par with 12 and 13
The release of heist film Oceans 8 – with its star-studded cast including Cate Blanchett and Sandra Bullock – failed to make-up for the shortfall, nor did the highly-anticipated sequel to 2015s dinosaur adventure Jurassic World.
However, despite the box office shortfall, there are encouraging signs for UK cinemas. Admissions for June were up 8.6 per cent in 2018 compared to the previous year, and UK admissions for the first half of the year are up 1.5 per cent – its second-best performance since the turn of the century, according to the UK Cinema Association.
"The wider picture for the UK cinema sector is one of continued growth and success,” says Phil Clapp, the chief executive of the UK Cinema Association.
He added that recent releases – including Incredibles 2 and Mamma Mia: Here We Go Again – will more than make up for the “temporary blip” seen in the recent period.
“A strong slate of films through the rest of the year – including A Star is Born; Fantastic Beasts: the Crimes of Grindelwald; and Mary Poppins Returns – will see 2018 be another record year for the UK box office,” added Clapp.
Read more: The latest Jurassic Park film is extinct on arrival
