Wicked, Gladiator II and Mufusa contribute to box office success for UK cinemas

Tim Richards, the founder and chief executive of Vue, said that UK cinemas enjoyed 'one of the biggest Decembers in history,' helped by bookings for family films

Vue boss Tim Richards says it was an "extraordinary" Christmas for British cinemas but cautioned that the industry is still in "recovery mode" after strikes in Hollywood put a damper on the quantity of film releases.

Nevertheless, blockbusters like Wicked and Gladiator II provided a significant lift to the sector. Mr Richards highlighted that UK picture houses experienced "one of the biggest Decembers in history," with box office hits like Mufasa: The Lion King and Moana ' drawing families into theatres.

This upward trend surged into 2025, thanks to the highly anticipated fourth instalment of the Bridget Jones series raking in £20.5m across the UK and Ireland in its debut week. This romcom sensation set new records for Working Title Films during its premiere weekend, placing it alongside their other iconic features such as Love Actually and Hot Fuzz.

Looking ahead, Mr Richards anticipates big box office success from forthcoming titles including Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning and Avatar: Fire and Ash. He said that cinemas are still grappling with the aftermath of a disruptive strike in Hollywood in 2023, which saw screenwriters and actors protesting over job conditions and salaries, effectively grinding some movie production and releases to a halt.

"We saw independent film production slow down, or stop, and it didn't really get going until the spring of last year," he explained. This led to "significantly-reduced number of films" in 2024, witht he company expecting "big gaps until the end of the year". Nevertheless, the cinema brand has set its sights on upgrading its UK picture houses, kicking off with the recently refurbished Swindon venue in Wiltshire.

The overhaul features self-service ticket scanning, stations for creating custom snack mixes, indulgent luxury recliners -- some of which are even equipped with wine coolers -- and handy charging stations. Tim Richards, Vue's founder who opened the first venue in Scotland back in 2000, announced ambitious plans for 19 major renovations across Europe, using Swindon as the "prototype" for these modern makeovers.

Within the UK and Ireland, Vue operates 92 cinemas, with tickets starting at a wallet-friendly £4.99 for standard seats at selected venues. Mr Richards highlighted the brand's awareness of customers' recent financial struggles. He said: "We are very conscious that a lot of our customers may have had a more difficult time over the past few years and might be more price-sensitive."

In response, Vue is holding onto its most affordable offers while also striving to "absorb" the sting of additional taxation from the Government's autumn Budget -- a bit of "bad timing" for a leisure sector already battered by the blows of Covid-19 and a cost-of-living crisis.