quote: The Daily Telegraph, 27 June 2008

---

Cinema attendances are heading towards an eight year low as the credit crunch hits leisure spending, new figures show.

Last month three million fewer people went to the pictures compared to May last year, despite the much anticipated release of Sexy and the City and Indiana Jones and The Kingdom of The Crystal Skull.

Carlton Screen Advertising recorded a 19pc drop in cinema admissions in May, and a 7 pc drop overall so far this year. If the trend continues 11m fewer people will see films on the big screen this year, a fall from 162m to 151m - the lowest number since 2000.

Senior industry figures said money worries and foul weather rather than poor films caused the drop in attendance. Danielle Mather, of Carlton Screen Advertising, said a series of big name films released this month will help boost takings. "June could be better and after that we will have the school holiday films," she said. "Last year we had much better weather in May and early June which helped audience figures."

The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian and the action movie Wanted, starring Angelina Jolie and James McAvoy, are the current big cinema draws. Last year film fans spent £904m at the box office, up 8 per cent on 2006, according to the UK Film Council.

British-made films had an exceptional year in 2007 with their share of the market increasing from 19 to 29 per cent, and seven of the top 20 films were made in Britain.

---