LONDON - 5 October 2006: The 20 biggest selling films based on stories or characters created by UK writers have taken almost $11 billion at the worldwide box office in the last six years, according to new figures released today by the UK Film Council.
Six of the top 10 films at the world box office 2001-2005, and 19 of the top 100, were based on stories and characters created by UK writers such as the Harry Potter films, the Lord of the Rings trilogy, James Bond, Bridget Jones and Wallace and Gromit. (See table 1 below)
The UK Film Council’s research and statistics bulletin which provides the latest film data and market intelligence for 2006, also reveals that film production spending in the UK is up by 76% for the first six months of 2006 at £486 million compared to £276 million for the first half of 2005. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, The Magic Flute, and Lottery-funded Miss Potter and Becoming Jane are some of the 70 films made or partly made in the UK this year. Inward investment alone has increased by 71%, standing at £306.7 million compared to £179.4 million for the same period in 2005.
Pirates of the Caribbean 2: Dead Man’s Chest has been the biggest box office hit of the year taking £51.48 million by the end of August – only the ninth film ever to break through the £50 million mark in the UK. 2006 has seen the release of 344 films at the cinema earning £526 million with comedy the best performing genre (£99.2 million) but overall admissions for the first seven months of the year were down slightly (2.4%) on the same period last year.
The most popular British films were The Da Vinci Code which racked up £30.4 million at the box office by the end of August, and UK Film Council Lottery-funded films Stormbreaker (£6.62 million) and The Wind that Shakes the Barley (£3.65 million) which also picked up the top prize at this year’s Cannes film festival.
Men and women have enjoyed different films at the cinema in 2006. Memoirs of a Geisha and Brokeback Mountain were popular with women while men preferred United 93 and V for Vendetta. Film tastes also differed across the regions of the UK. Match Point appealed to London audiences while Final Destination 3 proved popular in the Midlands and North West.
The most successful foreign language films so far this year have been Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna (grossing almost £2 million), Volver (£1.7 million) and Hidden (£1.45 million) which spent over six months in UK cinemas.
Commenting on the latest production figures for film in the UK in 2006, the UK Film Council’s British Film Commissioner Steve Norris said:
“It’s fantastic news that the UK production sector has bounced back this year with a 76% rise in the amount of money spent on producing films in the UK, generating business, jobs and spin-off value in other industries. This up-turn in business will also ultimately benefit UK audiences with more British films made and released.
“Today’s report also shows that UK writers are the best in the world. Films adapted from stories by UK writers have dominated the global box office for the past six years giving enjoyment to millions of cinema-goers around the world.”
To download a pdf of the following tables, click here:
- Top 20 grossing films worldwide based on stories and characters created by UK writers 2001-2006
- Top 20 UK films released in the UK, January-August 2006
- Feature film production activity for the half-years, January-June 2005 and 2006
Media enquiries:
Caroline Nagle
UK Film Council press office
T: 020 7861 7508
F: 020 7861 7863
E: press@ukfilmcouncil.org.uk
www.ukfilmcouncil.org.uk
NOTES TO EDITORS
Copies of the latest Research and Statistics Bulletin are available via the UK Film Council website at www.ukfilmcouncil.org.uk/usr/ukfcdownloads/201/UKFC_Sept_Bulletin.pdf
Films qualify as British due to meeting a set of criteria set down by the Government including where the film is shot, the involvement of UK talent in front of and behind the camera, and the percentage of a film’s budget spent in the UK or on UK staff and services.
The UK Film Council created the Research and Statistics Unit (RSU) in 2001 to originate research and gather film industry data to contribute to evidence-based policy and strategy.
The UK Film Council is the lead agency for film in the UK ensuring that the economic, cultural and educational aspects of film are effectively represented at home and abroad. We invest Government grant-in-aid and Lottery money in film development and production; training; international development and export promotion; distribution and exhibition; and education. Our aim is to deliver lasting benefits to the industry and the public alike through:
creativity - encouraging the development of new talent, skills, and creative and technological innovation in UK film and assisting new and established film-makers to produce successful and distinctive British films;
enterprise – supporting the creation and growth of sustainable businesses in the film sector, providing access to finance and helping the UK film industry compete successfully in the domestic and global marketplace
imagination - promoting education and an appreciation and enjoyment of cinema by giving UK audiences access to the widest range of UK and international cinema, and by supporting film culture and heritage.