UK and Ireland box office hits post-pandemic high as A Minecraft Movie tops 2025

The UK and Irish box office recorded its strongest annual performance since the Covid pandemic, with A Minecraft Movie finishing 2025 as the highest-grossing film of the year, figures released by box-office analysts Comscore show. Comscore said total box-office revenue in the UK and Ireland reached £1.07bn, an increase of 1% on 2024’s £1.06bn.

The number of films released fell slightly to 1,092 in 2025 from 1,124 in 2024. The total is the highest since 2019, when takings were £1.35bn; revenues dropped to £323.7m in 2020 amid Covid restrictions and then recovered to £595.5m in 2021 and £980.7m in 2022, returning above £1bn in 2023 with £1.06bn.

The numbers of films on release suggest the production pipeline has recovered and is exceeding pre-pandemic levels; 2019 saw 938 films. Comscore recorded 224 “saturation” releases in 2025 (playing in over 250 venues), up from 200 in 2024 and 188 in 2019, and said Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale had the widest opening in the UK in 2025, in over 750 cinemas.

A Minecraft Movie took £56.88m in the UK and Ireland; it also topped the 2025 North American box office with $423.9m and placed fifth worldwide with $958.3m, behind Chinese animation Ne Zha 2 on $2.24bn. Of British productions, Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy led domestically with £46.4m, followed by Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale (£18.4m) and 28 Years Later (£15.6m).

Key Topics

Culture, A Minecraft Movie, Ireland, Comscore, Bridget Jones