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Figures from UK cinema trade body the Film Distributors' Association (FDA) show that 50.8 million visits were made to UK cinemas in the three summer months June - August of 2007. This represents an increase of 27% above the same quarter of 2006, and an increase of 44% over June - August 2000, indicating the surge in cinemagoing that has taken place this decade.

These figures mean 2007 officially saw the biggest summer of cinemagoing in forty years, including throughout the multiplex era which began in 1985!

The fact that it was the wettest summer across the whole UK since records began (in 1914) and the coldest August for more than ten years naturally drove people to seek indoor entertainment. UK cinemas offered an amazing line-up which attracted large crowds week by week throughout the season.

One hundred and seventeen films received a UK cinema release in June - August. Local film distributors invested approximately £75 million to launch and sustain their titles in the competitive market place. It was a season when sequels did outstanding business as audiences flocked to see familiar characters in favourite franchises.

Top 12 blockbuster films in UK cinemas (June-August 2007) were:

1 Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
2 Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End
3 The Simpsons Movie
4 Shrek the Third
5 Spider-Man 3
6 Transformers
7 The Bourne Ultimatum
8 Die Hard 4.0
9 Ocean's Thirteen
10 The Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer
11 Hairspray
12 Rush Hour 3

Other highlights of summer 2007 included:

The last weekend in July was among the greatest for cinemagoing ever recorded in the UK with 5.5 million admissions. This was the launch weekend for The Simpsons Movie, a massive hit even though The Simpsons episodes are widely available on the small screen

Companies such as Pizza Hut (UK) and Hamleys celebrated with tie-in promotions: Pizza Hut offered two free child tickets to any participating cinema as part of a pizza meal deal, while Hamleys presented 'Summer at the Movies' with toy ranges from properties including Spider-Man 3, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix and Bratz: The Movie.

The BBC's 'Summer of British Film' ran for seven weeks on television, online and in digitally-equipped cinemas.

The FDA's one-minute compilation trailer heralding 'The Ultimate Summer of Cinema' played on 3,000 screens from mid June for two months and on many websites, encouraging repeat visits during the summer holidays.

Once the schools went back, cinemagoing has continued strongly. British-made Atonement and Run, Fat Boy, Run, which opened in early September, have each attracted more than a million cinemagoers in their first fortnight on UK release.

Mark Batey, Chief Executive of Film Distributors' Association, said: "These are sensational figures, unprecedented in modern times. It's thrilling that so many people have enjoyed the uniquely immersive, high quality experience of the cinema this summer. The first eight months of 2007 have seen 116.5 million admissions - more than took place in the whole of 1995 - while the autumn line-up, including Ratatouille, Stardust, Lions for Lambs, Elizabeth: The Golden Age, The Kingdom, The Kite Runner and The Golden Compass, looks powerful and varied enough to make this an absolutely barnstorming year at the movies."

For more information on the work of the FDA, visit the official website: www.launchingfilms.com

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