British and Irish Cinema Revenue Hit a Post-Pandemic Peak as A Minecraft Movie Tops 2025 Charts
Cinema revenue across Britain and Ireland has recorded its best annual performance in the post-Covid era, with A Minecraft Movie closing out 2025 as the top-earning film of the year.
A Gradual Recovery in Earnings
Statistics published by experts show that cinema takings in the UK and Ireland reached £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 amount 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 steep decline of the physical cinema box office the following year, to £323.7m, as Covid restrictions hit hard. Box office takings bounced back to £595.5m in 2021, and £980.7m in 2022, only exceeding £1bn in 2023, with a total of £1.06bn.
Industry Rebound and Strategic Shift
The count of movies in theaters suggest that the movie-making engine, hit both by the pandemic and subsequent film industry strikes in 2023, has rebounded. It is, in fact, surpassing pre-pandemic levels; in 2019, 938 films were released.
Notably, though, a strategic shift appears to be underway. In 2025, 224 films were recorded as “saturation” releases (playing in over 250 venues simultaneously), compared with 200 in 2024 and 188 in 2019. According to reports that Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale had the biggest debut in the UK in 2025, across 750 cinemas.
The Year's Top Film
The highest grossing film of 2025 in the UK and Ireland was the gaming adaptation A Minecraft Movie. Its viral impact, including the “chicken jockey” scene, has translated into box office the top spot, with a total of £56.88m.
“Despite only a slight annual rise in box office, 2025 was certainly a key advance in the sector’s recovery following the challenges of recent years. There is considerable hope that the coming months will see notable additional gains.”
The film also led the 2025 North American box office but came in fifth at the worldwide box office, far below the global leader, the Chinese animation Ne Zha 2.
Homegrown Hits and Event Cinema
Among domestic features, the fourth Bridget Jones film, Mad About the Boy, ended 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 revealed 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 record-breaking showing for a stage production; the film of the West End production Six the Musical amassed £6.2m.