British and Irish Cinema Revenue Reach a Post-Pandemic High as The Minecraft Film Leads 2025 Charts
The UK and Irish box office has recorded its best annual performance in the post-Covid era, with A Minecraft Movie ending 2025 as the highest-grossing film of the year.
A Steady Recovery in Revenue
Data from industry analysts show that cinema takings in the UK and Ireland amounted to £1.07bn. This marks a rise 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 constitutes the peak 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 bounced back 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 numbers of films on release suggest that the movie-making engine, hit both 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.
Significantly however, a recalibration of strategy appears to be underway. 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.
The Year's Top Film
The top-earning film of 2025 in the UK and Ireland was the game-to-screen translation A Minecraft Movie. Its viral impact, including the “chicken jockey” scene, has translated into box office supremacy, with a total of £56.88m.
“Despite only a slight annual rise in box office, 2025 was certainly a significant further step in the sector’s recovery after the challenges of recent years. There is strong confidence that the coming months will see significant further progress.”
The film also led 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.
Homegrown Hits and Specialty Releases
Among British productions, the fourth Bridget Jones film, Mad About the Boy, ended the year as the most successful at the UK and Irish box office, taking £46.4m. It came far in front of Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale and 28 Years Later in second and third place.
The figures also underscored the ongoing popularity 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.