Cinema revenue across Britain and Ireland has seen its highest annual performance after the pandemic, with A Minecraft Movie ending 2025 as the top-earning film of the year.
Figures released by box-office analysts show that cinema takings in the UK and Ireland amounted to £1.07bn. This represents an increase of 1% on 2024’s total of £1.06bn. Concurrently, there was a slight decrease 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 shortly before the precipitous drop of the physical cinema box office the following year, to £323.7m, as Covid restrictions had a devastating impact. Industry earnings climbed to £595.5m in 2021, and £980.7m in 2022, only exceeding £1bn in 2023, with a total of £1.06bn.
The volume of cinematic releases suggest that the production pipeline, affected 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.
Notably, though, a change in approach appears to be underway. In 2025, 224 films were recorded as “saturation” releases (playing in over 250 venues simultaneously), against 200 in 2024 and 188 in 2019. Data indicates that Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale had the widest opening in the UK in 2025, with over 750 cinemas.
The top-earning film of 2025 in the UK and Ireland was the gaming adaptation A Minecraft Movie. Its viral impact, including the “chicken jockey” scene, has led to 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 dominated 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.
Among domestic features, 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 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 highest-grossing run for a stage production; the film of the West End production Six the Musical amassed £6.2m.
Elena Hartwell is a multidisciplinary artist and educator passionate about fostering creative communities in London.