British and Irish Box Office Takings Hit a Post-Covid High as The Minecraft Film 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 finishing 2025 as the top-earning film of the year.

A Steady Climb in Revenue

Figures released by box-office analysts show that cinema takings 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 amount 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 shortly before the collapse of the physical cinema box office the following year, to £323.7m, as Covid restrictions had a devastating impact. Box office takings climbed to £595.5m in 2021, and £980.7m in 2022, only exceeding £1bn in 2023, with a total of £1.06bn.

Industry Rebound and Strategic Shift

The count of movies in theaters suggest that the movie-making engine, hit both by the pandemic and subsequent film industry strikes in 2023, has rebounded. It is, in fact, topping pre-pandemic levels; in 2019, 938 films were released.

Importantly, however, a change in approach appears to be occurring. In 2025, 224 films were recorded as “saturation” releases (playing in over 250 venues simultaneously), compared with 200 in 2024 and 188 in 2019. Figures show that Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale had the biggest debut in the UK in 2025, in more than 750 cinemas.

2025's Top Film

The most successful film of 2025 in the UK and Ireland was the gaming adaptation A Minecraft Movie. Its viral impact, featuring the “chicken jockey” scene, has translated into box office dominance, with a total of £56.88m.

“While growth was modest year-on-year in box office, 2025 clearly represented a major milestone in the sector’s recovery following the challenges of recent years. There is great optimism that the coming months will see significant further progress.”

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

Homegrown Hits and Event Cinema

Among domestic features, the fourth Bridget Jones film, Mad About the Boy, ended the year as 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 highlighted the enduring appeal 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 highest-grossing run for a stage production; the film of the West End production Six the Musical amassed £6.2m.