Entertainment

U.K. cinemas up 21% as original films crowd top 20

Jonah VillalbaPublished 9m ago3 min readBased on 8 sources
U.K. cinemas up 21% as original films crowd top 20
Image by Derks24 from Pixabay

Cinema-going in the U.K. and Ireland is up 21 percent on 2025, programmers told the BFI London Film Festival Industry Forum on 9 October 2026, in a report published by The Hollywood Reporter.

The session focused on the state of U.K. cinema-going. It was hosted by Screen International box office editor Charles Gant, with Curzon head of cinema programme Ben Lyndon, Picturehouse director of programming Carol McKay and BFI IMAX programme manager Madeleine Mullett on the panel.

The strongest shift is in what audiences are choosing. There are currently 12 original films in the U.K. top 20 in 2026, meaning new stories rather than sequels, remakes or adaptations. That compares with an average of fewer than five original films in the top 20 in each of the previous five years.

That is a sharp change. The latest example is A24's Backrooms, directed by Kane Parsons and starring Renate Reinsve and Chiwetel Ejiofor. It took $5.7 million (£4.3 million) in the U.K. and Ireland in its opening weekend, in figures reported on 9 October 2026.

The result set two records in the territory. Backrooms posted the highest-ever debut for an original horror film in the U.K. and Ireland, and it gave A24 its best opening weekend ever in the U.K. and Ireland, according to the same report.

Large-screen viewing is part of the story. London's BFI IMAX, which seats around 500, is the number one IMAX screen globally at the 2026 box office out of more than 1,800 IMAX screens. IMAX is the large-screen format known for its oversized screen and powerful sound.

The U.K. strength sits inside a wider recovery. Hollywood's summer 2026 box office passed $4.6 billion, with analysts estimating the total box office for 2026 could top $10 billion, as reported by Reuters on 4 September 2026.

What makes this stand out for regular cinema-goers is the mix. The discussion took place during the 70th BFI London Film Festival, which runs from 7 to 18 October 2026. For fans, this means more room on the biggest screens for new titles alongside the franchises.

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