British and Irish Cinema Revenue Hit a Post-Covid Peak as A Minecraft Movie Tops the Year's Charts

The UK and Irish box office has recorded its best annual performance after the pandemic, with A Minecraft Movie closing out 2025 as the top-earning film of the year.

A Steady Climb in Revenue

Data from industry analysts show that ticket sales in the UK and Ireland amounted to £1.07bn. This marks a rise of 1% on 2024’s total of £1.06bn. At the same time, there was a slight decrease in the volume of films released: 1,092 in 2025, versus 1,124 in 2024.

This result constitutes the peak 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 hit hard. Industry earnings climbed to £595.5m in 2021, and £980.7m in 2022, only exceeding £1bn in 2023, with a total of £1.06bn.

Industry Rebound and Changing Tactics

The count of movies in theaters suggest that the production pipeline, impacted by the pandemic and subsequent film industry strikes in 2023, has recovered. It is, in fact, surpassing pre-pandemic levels; in 2019, 938 films were released.

Significantly however, a strategic shift appears to be underway. In 2025, 224 films were recorded as “saturation” releases (playing in over 250 venues simultaneously), versus 200 in 2024 and 188 in 2019. Figures show that Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale had the widest opening in the UK in 2025, across 750 cinemas.

The Year's Box Office Champion

The highest grossing film of 2025 in the UK and Ireland was the video game movie A Minecraft Movie. Its cultural phenomenon, including 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 was certainly a significant further step in the sector’s recovery after the challenges of recent years. There is considerable hope that the coming months will see significant further progress.”

The film also led the 2025 North American box office but came in fifth at the worldwide box office, trailing the global leader, the Chinese animation Ne Zha 2.

Homegrown Hits and Specialty Releases

Among domestic features, the fourth Bridget Jones film, Mad About the Boy, finished the year as 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 continuing strength 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.