UK and Ireland Cinema Earnings Hit a Post-Pandemic Peak as A Minecraft Movie Tops 2025 Charts

Cinema revenue across Britain and Ireland has seen its highest annual performance since the Covid pandemic, with A Minecraft Movie closing out 2025 as the top-earning film of the year.

A Steady Climb in Revenue

Figures released by box-office analysts show that cinema takings in the UK and Ireland totalled £1.07bn. This shows growth of 1% on 2024’s total of £1.06bn. Concurrently, there was a minor decline in the volume of films released: 1,092 in 2025, versus 1,124 in 2024.

This result is the highest total 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 took a severe toll. Cinema revenues climbed to £595.5m in 2021, and £980.7m in 2022, only returning above £1bn in 2023, with a total of £1.06bn.

Industry Rebound and Changing Tactics

The numbers of films on release suggest that the production pipeline, impacted 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.

Importantly, however, a strategic shift appears to be taking place. In 2025, 224 films were recorded as “saturation” releases (playing in over 250 venues simultaneously), against 200 in 2024 and 188 in 2019. Figures show that Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale had the widest opening in the UK in 2025, with over 750 cinemas.

2025's Top Film

The most successful film of 2025 in the UK and Ireland was the game-to-screen translation A Minecraft Movie. Its online buzz, including the “chicken jockey” scene, has resulted in box office the top spot, with a total of £56.88m.

“Despite only a slight annual rise in box office, 2025 clearly represented a major milestone in the sector’s recovery after the challenges of recent years. There is strong confidence 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.

British Productions and Event Cinema

Among British productions, 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 well ahead 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.