Ticket sales up as film fans return to big screens

There are signs cinema-going is on the up after a series of financial blows and closures across the south.

The industry has been hit by the pandemic, competition from streaming services, rising costs and strikes in America delaying major releases.

Southampton, Weymouth, Bournemouth, Oxford and Banbury have all lost cinemas in recent years - although some places have seen alternatives open up.

But there are indications audience numbers have begun to recover - with one independent cinema saying there has been a boom in interest in classic films from under-25s.

Phil Clapp, chief executive of the UK Film Association, said box office takings held steady in 2024 compared to 2023 and admissions were up - something he described as a "pleasant surprise".

"The news is very positive," he said.

"As we've come into this year, with the likes of Bridget Jones, we're 20% up again.

"So I think the prospects for the industry look very strong, not withstanding some of the challenges we continue to face."

The future for cinemas has seemed particularly gloomy in Oxford - where two Odeons have closed in the city centre and recent plans have emerged to redevelop the Vue at the Ozone Leisure Park.

Petitions against the loss of facilities at the site, when it is turned into science laboratories, have attracted thousands of signatures.

The developers Pioneer Group have said they are drawing up plans for a replacement cinema, but concerns remain about the prospect of redevelopment.

Meanwhile, there are signs elsewhere of the industry recovering.

The abandoned Odeon on Magdalen Street in Oxford is set to get a new lease of life, with a licensing application lodged for a new cinema earlier this year.

And management at one of Oxford's surviving cinemas, the Ultimate Picture Palace, said ticket sales have been "through the roof".

The Ultimate Picture Palace's executive editor, Micaela Tuckwell, said film apps like Letterboxd had helped them find new audiences.

"[The cinema] was profoundly affected by the pandemic but our audience numbers have gone through the roof last year and even in the first few months of this year," she said.

"I'm particularly buoyed by the appetite for films by the younger generations - so people who are 25 and under - who are really coming in their droves to see classic films that we're showing.

"So I think that the future of cinema and seeing films on the big screen is really good."

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