Good news: UK film industry celebrates record year
Last updated 21/01/2010 10:04:29
UK film industry celebrates record year
The UK film industry is weathering the recession well, with record box office figures and UK independent films at their most popular for a decade, a new report shows.
2009 was the second best production year on record and 56% higher than 2008. Investment in the industry totalled £752.7m, which has more than doubled year on year and increased by £20m on the record 2003 figures.
The report from the UK Film Council shows that cinema admissions are also at their highest level since 2002 at 173.5m, with the box office exceeding £1bn for the first time. The record-breaking box office figures come after a busy and very successful year at UK cinemas for international blockbusters such as Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, The Twilight Saga: New Moon, and The Hangover.
Sion Simon, Minister for the Creative Industries, said: "Looking at today's figures it's hard to imagine that there was a time not so long ago that UK production was in the doldrums and cinema-going was under threat from new forms of home entertainment. We are now looking at superb production statistics and incredibly buoyant box office receipts, which come at a time when film is poised to make its next big leap into the world of 3D and digital screens, with all the possibilities that those developments bring."
John Woodward, Chief Executive Officer of the UK Film Council, explained that these figures show a robust UK film industry, adding: "British cinema-goers are voting with their feet – they want to see big event movies, many of which depend on outstanding British talent and are made in the UK thanks to our reliable film tax credit. In addition, what is particularly encouraging is that the public appetite for low budget independently-produced British films is rising once again despite the blockbuster phenomenon."
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