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London, 27 September 2007
THE UK'S HOTTEST SUMMER AT THE CINEMA IN GENERATIONS: 50 MILLION ADMISSIONS JUNE - AUGUST 2007

New figures from trade body Film Distributors' Association (FDA) show that 50.8 million visits were made to UK cinemas in the three summer months June - August 2007. This represents an increase of 27% above the same quarter of 2006, and an increase of 44% over June - August 2000, indicating the surge in cinemagoing that has taken place this decade.

2007 saw the biggest summer of cinemagoing in forty years, including throughout the multiplex era which began in 1985.

The fact that it was the wettest summer across the whole UK since records began (in 1914) and the coldest August for more than ten years naturally drove people to seek indoor entertainment. UK cinemas offered an amazing line-up which attracted large crowds week by week throughout the season.

117 films received a UK cinema release in June - August. Local film distributors invested approximately £75 million to launch and sustain their titles in the competitive market place.

It was a season when sequels did outstanding business as audiences flocked to see familiar characters in favourite franchises. The top 12 blockbusters in UK cinemas this summer were:

Other highlights of summer 2007:

• The last weekend in July was among the greatest for cinemagoing ever recorded in the UK with 5.5 million admissions. This was the launch weekend for The Simpsons Movie, a massive hit even though The Simpsons episodes are widely available on the small screen;
• Companies such as Pizza Hut (UK) and Hamleys celebrated with tie-in promotions: Pizza Hut offered two free child tickets to any participating cinema as part of a pizza meal deal, while Hamleys presented "Summer at the Movies" with toy ranges from properties including Spider-Man 3, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix and Bratz: The Movie;
• The BBC's "Summer of British Film" ran for seven weeks on television, online and in digitally-equipped cinemas;
• FDA's one-minute compilation trailer heralding "The Ultimate Summer of Cinema" played on 3,000 screens from mid June for two months and on many websites, encouraging repeat visits during the summer holidays.

Since the schools went back, cinemagoing has continued strongly. British-made Atonement and Run, Fat Boy, Run, which opened in early September, have each attracted more than a million cinemagoers in their first fortnight on UK release.

Mark Batey, Chief Executive of Film Distributors' Association, said: "These are sensational figures, unprecedented in modern times. It's thrilling that so many people have enjoyed the uniquely immersive, high quality experience of the cinema this summer. The first eight months of 2007 have seen 116.5 million admissions - more than took place in the whole of 1995 - while the autumn line-up, including Ratatouille, Stardust, Lions for Lambs, Elizabeth: The Golden Age, The Kingdom, The Kite Runner and The Golden Compass, looks powerful and varied enough to make this an absolutely barnstorming year at the movies."

For further information

Mark Batey / Alex Rowley, Film Distributers Association
Tel: 020 7437 4383
Email: mbatey@fda.uk.net arowley@fda.uk.net

Notes to editors

• The UK is the world's no. 3 country for cinemagoing by box-office, after the US and Japan.
• Film Distributors' Association (FDA) is the trade body for the UK's theatrical film distributors, the companies that release films in cinemas and promote them to audiences. Films distributed by FDA's 20 member companies account for approximately 97% of UK cinemagoing. More at www.launchingfilms.com.
• FDA's current generic campaign to promote cinemagoing this summer includes movie supplements in regional newspapers across the UK and mini-magazines delivered by TNT Post direct to households, setting out a broad selection of releases for the summer season.
• FDA research indicates that for every £1 spent at the cinema box-office, an additional £2 is spent on food and drink, transport to/from the cinema, and other leisure activities during the same trip.