The world's most famous spy helped cinema chain Cineworld to
shake off a poor summer as the public gaze was focused on the London
Olympics.
The operator, which has 80 cinemas, said the latest James Bond
release Skyfall had performed exceptionally well, keeping the
company on track to meet forecasts for the financial year.
As well as Skyfall, which grossed more than [pounds]60m
nationally in its first two weeks of showing, Cineworld has high
hopes for the final instalment of the vampire romance Twilight and
The Hobbit.
In the 19 weeks to November 8, revenues were 1.4 per cent lower
than a year ago as the Olympics and lack of major releases during
the period reduced admissions by 4.1 per cent. An increase in
average ticket prices of four per cent and an improvement in spend
per person offset some of the decline.
Screen advertising sales were flat compared with the same period
a year earlier while there was lower demand for 3D glasses due to
the release of fewer 3D films.
Cineworld said in a trading update: "The film line up for the
remainder of the fourth quarter is promising, with strong box office
performances anticipated from the key titles."
