British and Irish Box Office Revenue Hit a Post-Covid High as The Minecraft Film Tops 2025 Charts

Cinema revenue across Britain and Ireland has posted its strongest annual performance in the post-Covid era, with A Minecraft Movie ending 2025 as the highest-grossing film of the year.

A Gradual Climb in Earnings

Statistics published by experts show that box office revenue in the UK and Ireland amounted to £1.07bn. This shows growth of 1% on 2024’s total of £1.06bn. Meanwhile, there was a small drop in the amount of films released: 1,092 in 2025, versus 1,124 in 2024.

This result constitutes the peak since 2019, which saw £1.35bn in total revenue. That was shortly before the precipitous drop of the physical cinema box office the following year, to £323.7m, as Covid restrictions took a severe toll. Industry earnings 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 Changing Tactics

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 regained strength. It is, in fact, surpassing pre-pandemic levels; in 2019, 938 films were released.

Significantly however, a change in approach appears to be underway. In 2025, 224 films were recorded as “saturation” releases (playing in over 250 venues simultaneously), versus 200 in 2024 and 188 in 2019. According to reports that Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale had the widest opening in the UK in 2025, in more than 750 cinemas.

The Year's Top Film

The highest grossing film of 2025 in the UK and Ireland was the game-to-screen translation A Minecraft Movie. Its cultural phenomenon, featuring the “chicken jockey” scene, has led to box office the top spot, with a total of £56.88m.

“Although it saw only a small year-on-year increase in box office, 2025 was certainly a significant further step in the sector’s recovery following the challenges of recent years. There is strong confidence that the coming months will see substantial more growth.”

The film also topped the 2025 North American box office but placed fifth at the worldwide box office, well behind the global leader, the Chinese animation Ne Zha 2.

Homegrown Hits and Specialty Releases

Among UK-made films, the fourth Bridget Jones film, Mad About the Boy, was the most successful at the UK and Irish box office, taking £46.4m. It came significantly before Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale and 28 Years Later in second and third place.

The figures also revealed the continuing strength 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 best ever performance for a stage production; the film of the West End production Six the Musical amassed £6.2m.