£1.4bn
£XXX.Xm
16,265
476
£XXX.Xm
Cinemas earn their income primarily through box office sales, with blockbuster films being incredibly lucrative, but food and beverage sales and screen advertising also offer relatively strong revenue streams. The industry is dominated by the top four chains holding most of the market shares. Non-chain cinemas typically operate within niche sectors of the industry.
Industry revenue has declined at a CAGR of 7.5 % over the past five years, to reach an estimated £1.4bn in 2024.
Market size is projected to grow over the next five years.
Company | Market Share (%)
2025 | Revenue (£m)
2025 |
---|---|---|
Cineworld Group plc | 435.9 | |
ODEON Cinemas Group Ltd | 327.6 | |
Vue Entertainment Ltd | 306.9 |
To view the market share and analysis for all 5 top companies in this industry, view purchase options.
Industry revenue is measured across several distinct product and services lines, including Box office - top 20 films, Box office - all other films and Food, beverages and merchandise. Box office - top 20 films is the largest segment of the Cinemas in the UK.
Big box office films in the top 20 drive the recovery of cinemas
Cinemas primarily function indoors and are equipped with sophisticated projection technology to screen films. They also embrace the charm of open-air settings, diversifying their offerings. This flexibility allows audiences to enjoy movies in a range of environments, enhancing the cinematic experience.
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SIC 59.14 - Cinemas in the UK
Get an indication of the industry's health through historical, current and forward-looking trends in the performance indicators that make or break businesses.
Cinemas struggle to recover from the pandemic. Despite cinemas reopening over three years ago, admissions and box office still trail far behind 2019 levels. 2023 admissions w...
Learn about an industry's products and services, markets and trends in international trade.
Big box office films dominate cinema admissions. In 2023, the top 20 films made 60% of total UK box office revenue. Cinemas’ reliance on these films for admissions has only g...
Discover where business activity is most concentrated in an industry and the factors driving these trends to find opportunities and conduct regional benchmarking.
London’s high average income offers cinemas a lucrative market. It means people in the capital are willing to pay more for cinema tickets. The capital’s also a big draw for s...
Get data and insights on what's driving competition in an industry and the challenges industry operators and new entrants may face, with analysis built around Porter's Five Forces framework.
Investment in technology and additional offerings help draw customers in. With the amount of competition cinemas now face from at-home entertainment (like streaming services)...
Learn about the performance of the top companies in the industry.
Debt woes force Cineworld into bankruptcy. The chain is at major risk of closure – it’s been seeking a buyer for its assets since September 2022 without much luck.
Understand the demographic, economic and regulatory factors that shape how businesses in an industry perform.
There’s not too much regulation for cinemas to contend with. Their main concern is making sure they abide by films’ classifications – these are based on age and are determine...
View average costs for industry operators and compare financial data against an industry's financial benchmarks over time.
Profits swung wildly during the pandemic. UK cinemas were pushed well into the red in 2020-21, given that they were forced to close and then limit capacity. They’ve begun to ...
Including values and annual change:
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Key data sources in the UK include:
Analysts also use industry specific sources to complement catch-all sources, although their perspective may focus on a particular organization or representative body, rather than a clear overview of all industry operations. However, when balanced against other perspectives, industry-specific sources provide insights into industry trends.
These sources include:
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The market size of the Cinemas in the UK industry in United Kingdom is £1.4bn in 2024.
There are 476 businesses in the Cinemas in the UK industry in United Kingdom, which has grown at a CAGR of 12.7 % between 2019 and 2024.
The market size of the Cinemas in the UK industry in United Kingdom has been declining at a CAGR of 7.5 % between 2019 and 2024.
Over the next five years, the Cinemas in the UK industry in United Kingdom is expected to grow.
The biggest companies operating in the Cinemas market in United Kingdom are Cineworld Group plc, ODEON Cinemas Group Ltd and Vue Entertainment Ltd
Box office - top 20 films and Box office - all other films are part of the Cinemas in the UK industry.
The company holding the most market share in United Kingdom is Cineworld Group plc.
The level of competition is high and increasing in the Cinemas in the UK industry in United Kingdom.