2022 was a year of solid post-pandemic recovery in almost every area of UK and Ireland film releasing, according to data collated in the 21st edition of Film Distributors’ Association Yearbook 2023 launched today (April 4).  

“2022 delivered continued improvement in the sector’s recovery journey, and although not fully back to the record business levels crested immediately pre-pandemic, there were certainly positive signs for a promising road ahead,” Andy Leyshon, FDA chief executive officer, wrote in his foreword to the yearbook.

The data showed that a handful of US films continue to account for the bulk of overall revenues. The top 20 films were responsible for 64% of box office. One title, Paramount’s Top Gun: Maverick, with £83.4m in takings, accounted for 9% of last year’s entire box-office haul. The top distributor, Walt Disney, had a market share of 22.7% from 18 titles.

Nonetheless, UK and Irish film production bounded back with 217 titles released (up from 167 in 2021, a 30% rise), of which 56 were co-productions with other territories. They had combined ticket sales of £124m – 13% of the year’s overall box-office revenue.  

The leading UK and Irish film was Roald Dahl’s Matilda The Musical, released by Sony Pictures with a box office of £27.8m by the end of 2022 (and still playing in cinemas into January). Kenneth Branagh’s Belfast, released by Universal, was number two with £15.6m.

UK and Ireland cinema admissions were up 60% to 128 million in 2022. During the year, 26 films had box office revenue above £10m, while 911 titles were released, rising from 503 in 2021.

In spite of inflation and the cost-of-living crisis, the average ticket price has remained stable. It was at £7.66 in 2022, marginally up on the £7.47 charged in 2021.

Diversity and audience trends

Research included in the yearbook from consultant, curator and data analyst Delphine Lievens revealed that 273 releases in 2022 were identified as being “one or more of the following: directed by a woman, directed by a person of colour (POC), foreign-language cinema from Africa & Asia, or films that centre LGBTQIA+ characters and narratives.” Of these 273 releases, only 21 (8%) grossed over £1m at the box office.

Gender equality remains as elusive as ever. There were only five features directed by women in the UK and Ireland’s top 50 for 2022. Of the top 200 films released, 32 were directed by women.

This is lower than the 2021 and 2020 figures. However, two female directors, Kasi Lemmons with I Wanna Dance With Somebody (Sony), and Olivia Wilde with Don’t Worry Darling (Warner Bros), had films which grossed over £10m at the UK and Irish box office. (Around half of Lemmons’ box-office take was achieved in 2023.) 

The yearbook also had some revealing insights into genre and cinemagoing trends. 

Audiences are still clearly drawn by movies of which they have prior knowledge. The top 10 films in the UK and Ireland in 2022 were all based on existing IP – eight titles were direct sequels and four were based on characters originating from comic books. Comic-book films generated £180m in 2022, up from £161m the previous year. 

Animation continues to perform strongly. Led by Universal’s Minions: The Rise Of Gru, which had revenues of £46.9m, the 51 new animated titles released in the UK generated £132.8m in ticket sales.

Five animated films (Minions, Sing 2, DC League Of Super-Pets, The Bad Guys and Lightyear) racked up over £10m each in ticket sales.

The most successful documentary of 2022, Brett Morgen’s David Bowie picture Moonage Daydream (released by Universal and which also played on Imax screens) had box-office returns of £1.6m in the UK and Ireland. This was more than four times the total achieved by the second placed film, Margy Kinmonth’s Eric Ravilious: Drawn To War (released by Dartmouth Films), with a box office of £320,000.

Horror pictures, led by titles like Smile (which grossed £11.6m for Paramount), Nope (Universal) and Scream (Paramount), earned just over £70m in 2022 (up from £51.9m in 2021).

Non-English language titles boost 

Non-English language movies also did significantly better in 2022, generating £16.5m in box office and 185 new titles released (as opposed to £5.8m from 88 new titles in 2021).

Five had box office of over £1m. These were led by Sony’s animation Jujutsu Kaisen, which grossed £1.5m; Pedro Almodovar’s Parallel Mothers (£1.3m for Warner Bros); another Sony title, Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero (£1.2m); and two Mubi titles, The Worst Person In The World with £1.06m and Park Chan-wook’s festival favourite Decision To Leave, with £1.02m.

South Asian films had box office of just over £20.2m in 2022 from 222 new releases (up considerably on the £5.3m in ticket sales from 50 new titles in 2021). Four titles passed the £1m mark in 2022: Moviegoers’ Punjabi language The Legend Of Maula Jatt (with £1.4m); DG Tech’s Tamil language Ponniyin Selvan: 1; Walt Disney’s Hindi-language Brahmastra: Part 1 – Shiva; and Dreamz’s Telugu-language RRR. 

Event cinema also rebounded strongly post-pandemic, grossing £21.9m from 88 new releases (a strong rise on the. £6.7m from 57 titles in 2021). The number one title, Prima Facie – NT Live 2022 starring Jodie Comer, achieved an impressive £5.4m. 

Some trends are worrying: 59 films released in 2022 failed to achieve more than £1000 in cinema ticket sales while 254 titles didn’t pass the £10,000 mark.  

Film piracy is again on the rise with IP theft estimated to cost the UK and Irish creative industries over £500m a year.

However, the overall conclusions of the yearbook remain positive.

“We must work together to protect cinemagoing,” wrote Leyshon. “Distribution must now ensure that cinemas are given the goods that let them hold up a unique mirror with the most diverse reflection of society in all its glory. Distribution can best drive this inclusivity, appealing to multiple audiences at all times.

“A healthy and varied slate offer will only broaden film’s special lure. Likewise, more flexible release models offer a space for greater diversity of both content and viewer.”