British and Irish Cinema Takings Reach a Post-Pandemic High as A Minecraft Movie Leads the Year's Box Office

Cinema revenue across Britain and Ireland has posted its strongest annual performance in the post-Covid era, with A Minecraft Movie ending 2025 as the top-earning film of the year.

A Steady Climb in Revenue

Figures released by box-office 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. At the same time, there was a minor decline in the number of films released: 1,092 in 2025, versus 1,124 in 2024.

This result marks the best figure since 2019, which saw £1.35bn in total revenue. That was just prior to the precipitous drop of the physical cinema box office the following year, to £323.7m, as Covid restrictions had a devastating impact. Box office takings recovered to £595.5m in 2021, and £980.7m in 2022, only surpassing £1bn in 2023, with a total of £1.06bn.

Industry Rebound and Changing Tactics

The numbers of films on release suggest that the movie-making engine, 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.

Importantly, however, a change in approach appears to be occurring. In 2025, 224 films were recorded as “saturation” releases (playing in over 250 venues simultaneously), versus 200 in 2024 and 188 in 2019. According to reports that Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale had the widest opening in the UK in 2025, in more than 750 cinemas.

2025's Box Office Champion

The top-earning film of 2025 in the UK and Ireland was the video game movie A Minecraft Movie. Its online buzz, featuring the “chicken jockey” scene, has resulted in box office dominance, with a total of £56.88m.

“Despite only a slight annual rise in box office, 2025 undoubtedly marked a major milestone in the sector’s recovery after the challenges of recent years. There is great optimism that the coming months will see significant further progress.”

The film also dominated the 2025 North American box office but placed fifth at the worldwide box office, well behind the global leader, the Chinese animation Ne Zha 2.

British Productions and Specialty Releases

Among British productions, 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 far in front of Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale and 28 Years Later in second and third place.

The figures also highlighted the enduring appeal 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 highest-grossing run for a stage production; the film of the West End production Six the Musical amassed £6.2m.