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London, Friday 6 June 2008
MASS AUDIENCES ENJOYING THE START OF A HOT SUMMER AT THE CINEMA. Strong line-up set for UK release throughout Euro 2008 and beyond

London, 6 June 2008. Film Distributors' Association (FDA) today publishes online the full schedule of films coming to UK cinemas this summer, compiled from all distributor sources.

Notwithstanding Euro 2008 starting this weekend and Wimbledon in a fortnight, film distributors will be unveiling a powerful and varied line-up of new titles throughout the coming weeks. There will be something for all tastes, including the hotly anticipated Adulthood, Mongol, Gone Baby Gone, The Incredible Hulk, Wanted and The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian.

FDA also confirms that the summer season has got off to an outstanding start. Last weekend (30 May-1 June), an exceptional 3.25 million people went to the cinema around the UK. This was 58% higher than the average weekend over the last 12 months, and 96% higher than the same weekend in 2007 when the blockbuster Pirates of the Caribbean 3: At World's End had just opened.

Almost eight out of ten tickets were for two new films starring familiar talent - Sex and the City, in its first weekend, and Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, in its second weekend. A wide range of other films accounted for the remaining 21% of cinema visits.

On the strength of their opening weekends alone, both those films have earned places in the top 40 of the last 12 months. Since it opened on 28 May, more than five million UK cinemagoers have seen Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull; while two million have already seen Sex and the City. Both films remain on wide release this weekend.

FDA Chief Executive, Mark Batey, said: "It's great to see mass audiences flocking to the cinema to enjoy the excitement in air-conditioned comfort, despite competing attractions on the small screen and elsewhere. There's no better entertainment this summer than what's on at the movies and we're very optimistic about prospects for the year."

Further Information

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

Mark Batey,
Tel 020 7437 4383
Email mbatey@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.