As the summer holiday period approaches, UK film distributors are unleashing a vast array of new titles for the whole family in cinemas - where films may be enjoyed first and at their best.

Given the unpredictability and turbulence of the British weather and the economy, one thing audiences can be sure of this summer is entertainment in their local cinemas, where films of all genres are heading for the big screen, including:

Action adventure - The Dark Knight (with the late Heath Ledger as The Joker), Journey to the Centre of the Earth (to be presented in 3D in selected cinemas)
Animation - Kung Fu Panda, WALL-E
Fantasy - The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian,
Hancock, Hellboy 2
Comedy - Meet Dave, The Love Guru, Get Smart
Thriller - Babylon AD, X-Files: I Want to Believe
Musical - Mamma Mia!
Drama - Female Agents, Before the Rains - and many more.


	The first films of the summer season were released in May. The top five cinema hits of summer 2008 to date are:

1	Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull - 7.5 million UK cinemagoers
2	Sex and the City - 4.6 million UK cinemagoers
3	Iron Man - 3.4 million UK cinemagoers
4	What Happens in Vegas - 1.5 million UK cinemagoers
5	The Incredible Hulk - 1.3 million UK cinemagoers (and counting!)

In January - May 2008, there were 61.1 million cinema visits UK-wide, equivalent to one per head of the population. Of these, 5.4 million were in Scotland, 1.75 million in Northern Ireland, 4.1 million in Wales and the West (TV region), and 49.85 million in England. The London area accounted for 15.4 million cinema visits out of the 49.85 million that took place in England.

The UK's biggest cinemagoing weekend of 2008 so far was Thursday 29 May - Sunday 1 June, when 3.3 million admissions were recorded over those four days. The top films that weekend were Sex and the City and Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. After just five weeks on release, the latter has displaced Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones to take the no. 24 position in the UK chart of all-time box-office hits.

Film Distributors' Association (FDA) Chief Executive, Mark Batey, said: "Even though the characters in Indiana Jones and Sex and the City are familiar from viewings on television and DVD, audiences have flocked to experience their latest escapades in the air-conditioned comfort of the cinema. In fact, one in five people in the UK went to the cinema last month alone, enjoying the great escape that the cinema uniquely provides and kick-starting what we believe will be a fantastic summer season."

Further Information

Carrie Thatcher,
Tel 020 7437 4383
Email cthatcher@fda.uk.net

Film Distributors' Association Ltd, 22 Golden Square, London W1F 9JW.

Notes to editors

FDA is the trade body for UK theatrical film distributors. Its 21 member companies' releases account for 96% of cinemagoing. A comprehensive UK release schedule, updated weekly, is available at FDA's website. www.launchingfilms.com.

Focus, a generic magazine previewing the coming season's cinema releases, has been published quarterly by FDA since 2007. It runs to 16 pages, pocket-sized A5, and is printed on paper produced from sustainable managed forests accredited by the Programme for Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC). The latest edition of one million copies is its largest circulation yet. Website: www.focusonmovies.co.uk

FDA's summer 2008 compilation trailer is now available free for media websites, covering releases through to early September.