This ad will be closed automatically in X seconds.

2017 is record year for UK box office

The Last Jedi, Beauty and the Beast, Despicable Me 3 among top films of the year.

The UK box office enjoyed a bumper 2017 according to new data released by ComScore.

The total box office across the UK and Ireland was £1.378bn, up 3.6% from 2016. This is made even more impressive by the fact that 2016 was a 53-week year compared to 52 in 2017, reports Screen Daily.

Comparing a like for like period of 52 weeks in each year, 2017 is up 6.1% versus 2016. The record has now been broken in each of the last three years (2015-2017), following a drop of 2.7% in 2014.

When it comes to the top ten films of the year, those backed with licensing and consumer products were out in full force.

Star Wars: The Last Jedi was at number one (with £73.1 million), closely followed by Beauty and the Beast at number two (£72.4 million).

Despicable Me 3 was at number four (£47.8 million), Guardians of the Galaxy Vol.2 was number five (£41.0m), Paddington 2 was number six (£39.3m), Thor: Ragnarok was number eight (£31.0m) and Spider-Man: Homecoming was number nine (£30.4m).

Perhaps unsurprisingly, Disney was the top distributor for a second consecutive year, taking £265.1m (19.2% of the total market).

Warner Bros. was in second with £223.2 million (16.2% of the total market), while Universal was third with £214.9m (15.6%), Screen Daily reported.

Want to read more news like this? Simply sign up to our daily digest by clicking here. You can also follow @LicensingSource on Twitter.

MORE NEWS
JeffBanks500x500
 
The legendary fashion designer regaled guests at the B&LLAs last week with anecdote after anecdote about a career in design, fashion and licensing that has spanned over 60 years....
BingRubies500x500
 
Rubies has added to its preschool property range, partnering with Acamar Films for an everyday dress-up collection for Bing....
FanaticsSunderland500x500
 
The global digital platform and sports merchandise specialist will become the club’s new retail partner until 2034....
PhillipeBost500x500
 
As a result, Merchantwise is expanding its international reach with a team led by former Activision Blizzard vp of international consumer products, Philippe Bost who will oversee the international licensing programmes across the markets....
CarouselLS500x500
 
Carousel and Otter House have licensed the London Studio-created brand Dreamadelic for a 2025 square wall calendar on behalf of the charitable humanitarian organisation, Oxfam....
AutumnFaire500x500
 
As Autumn Fair’s online marketplace of choice, Faire will help hundreds of exhibiting brands take orders on its platform from retailers attending the show....
Get the latest news sent to your inbox
Subscribe to our daily newsletter

The list doesn't exist! Make sure you have imported the list on the 'Manage List Forms' page.