British and Irish Box Office Revenue Hit a Post-Covid Peak as The Minecraft Film Tops 2025 Charts
The UK and Irish box office has recorded its best annual performance since the Covid pandemic, with A Minecraft Movie finishing 2025 as the number one film of the year.
A Steady Climb in Earnings
Data from industry analysts show that cinema takings in the UK and Ireland reached £1.07bn. This shows growth of 1% on 2024’s total of £1.06bn. At the same time, there was a minor decline in the volume of films released: 1,092 in 2025, against 1,124 in 2024.
This result is the highest total since 2019, which saw £1.35bn in total revenue. That was just prior to the steep decline of the physical cinema box office the following year, to £323.7m, as Covid restrictions hit hard. Industry earnings recovered to £595.5m in 2021, and £980.7m in 2022, only surpassing £1bn in 2023, with a total of £1.06bn.
Industry Rebound and Changing Tactics
The volume of cinematic releases suggest that the movie-making engine, affected by the pandemic and subsequent film industry strikes in 2023, has regained strength. It is, in fact, topping pre-pandemic levels; in 2019, 938 films were released.
Notably, though, a change in approach appears to be occurring. In 2025, 224 films were recorded as “saturation” releases (playing in over 250 venues simultaneously), versus 200 in 2024 and 188 in 2019. Figures show that Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale had the widest opening in the UK in 2025, in more than 750 cinemas.
The Year's Top Film
The most successful film of 2025 in the UK and Ireland was the video game movie A Minecraft Movie. Its online buzz, including the “chicken jockey” scene, has translated into box office dominance, with a total of £56.88m.
“Although it saw only a small year-on-year increase in box office, 2025 was certainly a major milestone in the sector’s recovery following the challenges of recent years. There is great optimism that the coming months will see significant further progress.”
The film also dominated the 2025 North American box office but placed fifth at the worldwide box office, well behind the global leader, the Chinese animation Ne Zha 2.
British Productions and Event Cinema
Among UK-made films, 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 significantly before Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale and 28 Years Later in second and third place.
The figures also highlighted 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 highest-grossing run for a stage production; the film of the West End production Six the Musical amassed £6.2m.
