Cinema box office takings at 50% of pre-pandemic levels

Black Widow was one of the biggest summer hits, but its takings were hit by the pandemic

UK cinema box office takings in the month since all Covid restrictions were lifted in England were half of their pre-pandemic level.

Box office tracker Comscore said £65.7m was spent on seeing films like Black Widow and Fast & Furious 9 in the four weeks after "freedom day" on 19 July.

The figure for the corresponding weeks in 2019 was £129m.

Cinemas said they were "very pleased" with the figures and "pretty confident" they will get back to previous levels.

It's a similar picture in the US, where takings for the last four weekends have been 51% of the equivalent 2019 figures.

Many major movies that were delayed by Covid in 2020 have finally been released in cinemas this summer, but have not enticed the numbers they would have previously expected.

Continuing uncertainty in the US, where the Delta variant has recently led to rising cases, has disrupted release schedules again.

In recent weeks, Clifford the Big Red Dog, the Venom sequel and Hotel Transylvania 4 have either been pushed back or moved to streaming.

There has been speculation that the next James Bond outing No Time To Die - which is due out in late September in the UK after being delayed three times - could be postponed yet again. However, on Wednesday The Hollywood Reporter suggested that's unlikely to happen.

"The conditions remain challenging, there's no doubt about that," said Phil Clapp, chief executive of the UK Cinema Association.

"It's clear that there is still some reluctance among certain audience segments to return, and that's particularly true among older audiences," Mr Clapp said. "There's a continuing need to offer reassurance and to ensure that there's the right film content for those older audiences.

"But broadly I think people [in the industry] are very pleased with the response of the public to the reopening of cinemas. The film slate is strengthening. We're now seeing a major title released, if not quite every weekend, then every other weekend."

The UK industry lost £2bn during the pandemic and no-one expected things to bounce back immediately, Mr Clapp said. "Everyone knew that we would need to have to work hard over the initial weeks and months. Everyone's broadly where they expected to be."

'I miss that feeling'

Amar Bilas, 34, from Greater Manchester, met his wife while working in a cinema, and before Covid they would go to see a film at least every couple of months.

"It's kind of ingrained. Ever since we've been teenagers we've been going to the cinema and even worked in one. So it's been our go-to thing," he said.

"But it's been nearly two years since we've been. The main thing is, nobody is wearing face masks, and Covid is still about. I know we're not going to die, but we just can't be bothered getting ill. That's the main thing.

"If we do get it, we don't know who we're going to pass it on to. My mum and dad are elderly. Being in a confined space, you don't know who you're going to be sat next to and you don't know if they're being careful.

"The other thing is, a lot of the films have come on to a streaming platform. So you think, well, I can watch it from the comfort of your home. You're getting a peace of mind so I don't mind paying £20.

"It still doesn't replace the atmosphere and the feeling of going to the cinema. You queue up, you get your tickets, get your food, get drinks, go in. I miss that feeling."

A cinema in London told passers-by in May "I assure you we're open"

Charles Gant, box office analyst for industry outlet Screen Daily, said the current figures may be sharply down on 2019, but they are much better than summer 2020.

"I honestly think the primary emotion will be relief rather than despair because what happened last year after lockdown ended was pretty grim for everybody," he said.

The continual postponement of releases led to a "death cycle that no one seemed to be able to find a way out of", he said.

"So when I look at the numbers now, I'm just thinking, this is great. It's easy to forget that, actually, those numbers are still significantly down 2019."

Two years ago, 13 films grossed more than £20m in the UK, he said. This year, there have been none, despite some major blockbusters having made it onto the big screen.

Around the world, the biggest-budget releases have not reached the peaks they would have normally expected, according to Jeff Bock from US analysts Exhibitor Relations.

Nathalie Emmanuel and Vin Diesel in a scene from Fast & Furious 9

"Only one film [F9] has grossed over $400m worldwide this summer, and only a handful have even topped $100m domestic [in North America]," he said.

"The industry is used to having at least a few films boast $1bn worldwide, which is a number we might not see for quite some time now.

He added that the horror genre has held up better than others.

"Creativity is the name of the release game right now if you're a studio, which is why Disney and Warner Bros have been so aggressive in the streaming world."

Disney has put films like Black Widow and Cruella on streaming platform Disney+ at the same time as they hit cinemas - for a premium price.

But it is saving other releases for the big screen.

Studio experiments

The company's boss Bob Chapek said putting the forthcoming Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings in cinemas for 45 days before joining Disney+ was "an experiment".

Warner Bros, meanwhile is putting all its 2021 releases on HBO Max in the US, but has pledged to give cinemas a 45-day head start next year.

That's a much shorter window than before the pandemic. In the UK, there was traditionally around a four-month wait to watch films at home. Now, even if a film isn't on streaming platform straight away, fans know they will not have a long wait.

"It's apparent that the industry may have been changed forever by these events, as studios are in the eye of the hurricane," Mr Bock said.

"Everything is swirling around them and no-one really knows when and where things will land."