British and Irish Cinema Revenue Reach a Post-Covid High as A Minecraft Movie Leads the Year's Charts

The UK and Irish box office has posted its strongest annual performance since the Covid pandemic, with A Minecraft Movie ending 2025 as the top-earning film of the year.

A Steady Climb in Earnings

Data from industry analysts show that box office revenue in the UK and Ireland amounted to £1.07bn. This shows growth of 1% on 2024’s total of £1.06bn. Concurrently, there was a minor decline in the volume of films released: 1,092 in 2025, against 1,124 in 2024.

This result marks the best figure since 2019, which saw £1.35bn in total revenue. That was just prior to the collapse of the physical cinema box office the following year, to £323.7m, as Covid restrictions hit hard. Box office takings climbed to £595.5m in 2021, and £980.7m in 2022, only returning above £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 rebounded. It is, in fact, exceeding pre-pandemic levels; in 2019, 938 films were released.

Importantly, however, a recalibration of strategy 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 biggest debut in the UK in 2025, with over 750 cinemas.

The Year's Top Film

The most successful film of 2025 in the UK and Ireland was the game-to-screen translation A Minecraft Movie. Its online buzz, including the “chicken jockey” scene, has led to box office dominance, with a total of £56.88m.

“While growth was modest year-on-year 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 notable additional gains.”

The film also topped the 2025 North American box office but came in fifth at the worldwide box office, well behind the global leader, the Chinese animation Ne Zha 2.

British Productions and Event Cinema

Among domestic features, 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 well ahead of Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale and 28 Years Later in second and third place.

The figures also underscored the continuing strength 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 record-breaking showing for a stage production; the film of the West End production Six the Musical amassed £6.2m.