Cinemas Reopening1 Jun 2021 16:02
Cinema owners have enjoyed a strong opening weekend in the UK, with the biggest box office takings since cinemas were first forced to close 14 months ago. Cinema owners took an estimated £7m in ticket sales over the weekend, the best take since 6-8 March last year, led by Peter Rabbit 2: The Runaway. The previous weekend high was the £6m taken by Tenet when it was released last August.
Cineworld said the first weekend that audiences had been allowed back into cinemas went “beyond expectations”. Shares in the company, the UK’s biggest chain with 127 sites, jumped 4% as investors cheered the prospect of a rapid return to pre-pandemic cinema-going levels.
Cineworld, which has kept all its UK sites shut since 8 October, also said that it saw strong sales at concession stands while Godzilla vs. Kong also proved a big drawcard, despite having already previously been released online.
“This weekend’s performance went beyond our expectations as customers were eager to return to the movies and enjoy the full movie experience,” the company said on Monday.