According to figures released by Comscore, box office revenue in the Republic of Ireland increased 13% from 2022 to 2023, with box office revenue in Ireland and the UK as a whole increasing 8.3%.
Using data collected between January 6th 2023 and January 4th 2024, Comscore have released figures showing the growth in box office revenue in the five regions of the Ireland and UK box office territory. The Republic of Ireland has shown the highest amount of year-on-year growth at 13%, followed by Wales up 10%, Northern Ireland up 9%, and England and Scotland both up by 8%. The box office territory as a whole has risen 8.3%, rising from £980.5 million (€1.14 billion) in 2022 to £1.06 billion (€1.23 billion) in 2023. This marks 2023 as the first post-pandemic year to mark the 1 billion pound milestone, however this figure is still 23.5% below the 2019 pre-pandemic total box office revenue of Ireland and the UK (€1.57 million/£1.35 billion).
The amount of new releases in cinemas increased 9% with 1,013 new releases in 2023, compared to 929 in 2022, and 938 in 2019.
2023 saw a higher number of ‘saturation’ releases, titles playing at more than 250 cinemas. Saturation releases rose 28.9% from 135 in 2022 to 174 in 2023, which is still lower than the 186 saturation releases of 2019. This reflects the effect of the dual union strikes in the US in 2023, with titles such as Dune: Part Two getting delayed releases.
In their report, Comscore highlighted the importance of Barbenheimer in this growth stating: “the FOMO appeal of participating in cultural moments at the cinema was emphasized by the huge volume of positive conversation. The impact of #Barbenheimer over the summer was phenomenal, with social media posts mentioning Barbie and/or Oppenheimer achieving over 40 million interactions globally on a single day in July.”
Barbie led the Ireland and UK box office with €111 million overall, followed by Oppenheimer at €68.2 million and The Super Mario Bros. Movie at €63.7 million. In the Republic of Ireland, Barbie broke records becoming the highest grossing film in Irish Box Office history, as first reported by IFTN.
Comscore have also noted that “there is no strong sign of the cost-of-living crisis affecting cinemagoing”, with tickets remaining “seemingly affordable to the majority”.
Top 10 films in Ireland and the UK, 2023:
(Data from Jan. 6, 2023-Jan. 4, 2024)
- Barbie (Warner Bros): €111 million
- Oppenheimer (Universal): €68.2 million
- The Super Mario Bros. Movie (Universal): €63.7 million
- Wonka (Warner Bros): €57.2 million – still on release
- Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 3 (Disney): €42.7million
- Spider-Man: Across The Spider-Verse (Sony): €35.7 million
- The Little Mermaid (Disney): €31.9 million
- Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One (Paramount): €30.9 million
- Puss In Boots: The Last Wish (Universal): €30.2 million
- Avatar: The Way Of Water (Disney): €29.3 million in 2023 (€89.9 million lifetime)
