2009 cinema admissions continue to climb

Latest Cinema Advertising Association figures show cinema admissions are going from strength-to-strength, with 13.8million cinemagoers heading to the screens in April alone. This marks a year-on-year increase of 40.8%, and ranks as the strongest April for cinema admissions since 2004.

Overall, cinema admissions for 2009 stand at 55.2m to date, a 14.2 % increase on the same period in 2008. Monsters vs Aliens, which was released on 520 screens and in 3D on over a quarter of these, was the top film in cinemas in April generating over £17.3m to date has generated £17.3m in April alone, nearly one and a half times the gross for the second most successful film of the month. That spot was taken by Fast and Furious, the fourth in the extreme racing franchise, which took £12.4m. 17 Again, starring Zac Efron, stood as the third highest-grossing film of the month, taking £9.6m.

2009 has already ranked as a successful year for cinema, with admissions over the first quarter of the year increasing by 7.5% compared to the same period in 2008. Some of this success can be attributed to the new experiences offered by a new series of 3D films. Indeed, recent movies like Disney’s Bolt and Dreamworks’ Monsters vs Aliens have proven that 3D releases take approximately 3 times more than their 2D equivalents on a site by site basis. The Cinema Advertising Association has shed some light into the continued appeal of the silver screen, even in times of recession. Its recent FAME (Film Audience Measurement And Evaluation) research found that cinema was the out-of-home pastime respondents were most unwilling to do without, with 62 per cent agreeing they are still spending the same on trips to the cinema despite the credit crunch.

Anna Cremin, CAA spokesperson comments: “This year has been very favourable for cinema, with a great selection of films, appealing to a wide range of audiences. Additionally, this year has seen a considerable number of 3D releases bringing a new dimension to the experience. With this month’s releases: Wolverine, Angels and Demons, and Star Trek kicking off this summer’s blockbuster film season, we can only expect this success to continue over the summer months through releases such as Terminator: Salvation, Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen in June and of course, Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince in July.”