Entertainment

The Last Jedi helps give UK cinemas best year at box office

It was the biggest film in the UK and Ireland in 2017 according to new data.
It was the biggest film in the UK and Ireland in 2017 according to new data. It was the biggest film in the UK and Ireland in 2017 according to new data.

The Last Jedi helped make 2017 the highest-grossing year on record for the UK box office.

The Star Wars blockbuster helped best the amount made in 2016.

More than £1.38 billion was raked in at the box office in the UK and Ireland in 2017, up 3.6% from £1.33 billion in 2016, according to industry analysts comScore.

The Last Jedi pulled in £72.1 million in just three weeks, spending 22 days in the number one spot.

Its success helped make Disney the biggest distributor in the UK and Ireland for a second year in a row, pulling in £265.1 million with six films.

It had three of the best performing films of the year, alongside Beauty And The Beast and Guardians Of The Galaxy Volume 2.

Dunkirk and Despicable Me 3 rounded out the top five biggest earners of the year.

Phil Clapp, CEO of the UK Cinema Association, said: “Alongside a strong and diverse film slate, today’s box office figures are testament to the unprecedented levels of investment made by UK cinema operators in 2017 in enhancing the big screen experience.

“From new site openings and refurbishments to technological advancements, these efforts have ensured the sector continues to thrive in the face of new competition from online platforms such as Netflix.

“It’s clear that the UK public still turns to cinema to get the ‘wow’ experience they can’t enjoy anywhere else.”