Cinema of the United Kingdom

Cinema of the United Kingdom
Harry Potter statue in Leicester Square, London
No. of screens4,264 (2017)[1]
 • Per capita7.3 per 100,000 (2017)[1]
Main distributorsWalt Disney Studios Motion Pictures
StudioCanal
Universal Pictures
Pathé
20th Century Studios
Entertainment One[2]
Produced feature films (2017)[3]
Total285
Fictional213 (74.7%)
Animated5 (1.8%)
Documentary66 (23.2%)
Number of admissions (2017)[4]
Total170,600,000
 • Per capita2.9
Gross box office (2017)[5]
Total£1.38 billion
National films£515 million (37.4%)

The oldest known surviving film (from 1888) was shot in the United Kingdom as well as early colour films. While film production reached an all-time high in 1936,[6] the "golden age" of British cinema is usually thought to have occurred in the 1940s, during which the directors David Lean,[7] Michael Powell,[8] and Carol Reed[9] produced their most critically acclaimed works. Many British actors have accrued critical success and worldwide recognition, such as Audrey Hepburn, Olivia de Havilland, Vivien Leigh, Glynis Johns, Maggie Smith, Laurence Olivier, Michael Caine,[10] Sean Connery,[11] Ian Mckellen, Joan Collins, Judi Dench, Julie Andrews, Daniel Day-Lewis, Gary Oldman, Emma Thompson, Anthony Hopkins, Peter O’Toole and Kate Winslet.[12] Some of the films with the largest ever box office returns have been made in the United Kingdom, including the fourth and fifth highest-grossing film franchises (Harry Potter and James Bond).[13]

The identity of the British film industry, particularly as it relates to Hollywood, has often been the subject of debate. Its history has often been affected by attempts to compete with the American industry. The career of the producer Alexander Korda was marked by this objective, the Rank Organisation attempted to do so in the 1940s, and Goldcrest in the 1980s. Numerous British-born directors, including Alfred Hitchcock, Christopher Nolan and Ridley Scott,[14] and performers, such as Charlie Chaplin[15] and Cary Grant, have achieved success primarily through their work in the United States.

In 2009, British films grossed around $2 billion worldwide and achieved a market share of around 7% globally and 17% in the United Kingdom.[16] UK box-office takings totalled £1.1 billion in 2012,[17] with 172.5 million admissions.[18]

The British Film Institute has produced a poll ranking what they consider to be the 100 greatest British films of all time, the BFI Top 100 British films.[19] The annual BAFTA Awards hosted by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts are considered to be the British equivalent of the Academy Awards.[20]

  1. ^ a b "Table 8: Cinema Infrastructure - Capacity". UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Archived from the original on 24 December 2018. Retrieved 7 May 2019.
  2. ^ "Table 6: Share of Top 3 distributors (Excel)". UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Archived from the original on 24 December 2018. Retrieved 5 November 2013.
  3. ^ "Table 1: Feature Film Production - Genre/Method of Shooting". UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Archived from the original on 24 December 2018. Retrieved 7 May 2019.
  4. ^ "Table 11: Exhibition - Admissions & Gross Box Office (GBO)". UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Archived from the original on 24 December 2018. Retrieved 7 May 2019.
  5. ^ "Statistical Yearbook 2018" (PDF). BFI. British Film Institute. Archived (PDF) from the original on 28 May 2022. Retrieved 7 May 2019.
  6. ^ "BFI Screenonline: UK Feature Films Produced 1912–2023". Archived from the original on 4 March 2018. Retrieved 30 June 2008.
  7. ^ "The Directors' Top Ten Directors". British Film Institute. Archived from the original on 14 May 2011. Retrieved 2 November 2010.
  8. ^ "Powell, Michael (1905–1990)". British Film Institute. Archived from the original on 16 October 2018. Retrieved 25 January 2011.
  9. ^ "Reed, Carol (1906–1976)". British Film Institute. Archived from the original on 8 August 2012. Retrieved 25 January 2011.
  10. ^ "Caine, Michael (1933-)". British Film Institute. Archived from the original on 16 September 2018. Retrieved 11 December 2010.
  11. ^ "Connery, Sean (1930-)". British Film Institute. Archived from the original on 18 October 2018. Retrieved 11 December 2010.
  12. ^ "Winslet, Kate (1975-)". British Film Institute. Archived from the original on 16 September 2018. Retrieved 11 December 2010.
  13. ^ "Harry Potter becomes highest-grossing film franchise". The Guardian. London. 11 September 2007. Archived from the original on 26 July 2013. Retrieved 2 November 2010.
  14. ^ "Scott, Sir Ridley (1937-)". British Film Institute. Archived from the original on 26 September 2018. Retrieved 25 January 2011.
  15. ^ "Chaplin, Charles (1889–1977)". British Film Institute. Archived from the original on 8 August 2012. Retrieved 25 January 2011.
  16. ^ "UK film - the vital statistics". UK Film Council. Archived from the original on 11 December 2011. Retrieved 22 October 2010.
  17. ^ "UK cinema box office". Cinema Exhibitor's Association. Archived from the original on 12 April 2013. Retrieved 18 March 2013.
  18. ^ "UK cinema annual admissions". Cinema Exhibitor's Association. Retrieved 18 March 2013.[permanent dead link‍]
  19. ^ British Film Institute | The BFI 100 bfi.org
  20. ^ "Baftas fuel Oscars race". BBC News. 26 February 2001. Archived from the original on 26 July 2013. Retrieved 14 February 2011.