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Last Updated:  Friday, 28 March, 2003, 10:17 GMT
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British film industry: At a glance
Filming
Forty-two UK films were made in 2002
A guide to the key facts and figures for the British film industry.

Click on the categories to see a snapshot of the industry:
Film production, Film finance and Film viewing.

Production

More than £500m was spent on making films in the UK in 2002.

  • The UK was involved in the production of 115 films.

  • The number of British films fell from 51 in 2001 to 42 in 2002.

  • Cinema admissions are up 68% over the last 10 years but UK productions make up only 3% of all the movies released in Britain.

  • Gross box office for UK was £645m in 2001.

  • Odeon
    There are more than 3,000 screens in the UK
    The average UK solo production film costs about £3.5m to make but takes only £750,000 at the box office

  • Foreign projects filmed in the UK fell from 38 in 2001 to 30 to 2002 but attracted 16% more cash.

  • Spending by US studios jumped from £230.46m in 2001 to £267m in 2002.

  • In 2002 there were more than 43 co-productions for the first time there were more co-productions than solely British films made.

    Finance

    Funding for films is available from a variety of sources: film support bodies such as the Film Council, international co-production, investment schemes, broadcasters and foreign studios.

    The Film Council has four key schemes, each with different budgets.

  • The Development Fund offers £5m a year to help screenplays improve before production.

  • Tomb Raider
    US studios continue to film in Britain
    The New Cinema Fund: £5m per year is available for at "cutting edge" filmmaking.

  • The Premier Fund: £10m per year is put aside to help spot films with international potential.

  • First Light: £1m of Lottery funds is set aside for children and youth film makers.

    About £600m is available from sale and leaseback schemes, in which the rich can invest money into film to shelter themselves from tax.

    Broadcasters in Britain are traditional backers of film.

    Film Four may have closed but Channel 4 still plans to invest about £10m into a films each year.

    BBC Films also has about £10m for film investment.

    Three film franchises - The Film Consortium, Pathe and DNA - were awarded £96m in 1997 for a period of six years.

    Film viewing

  • 68% of UK population go to a film at least once a year.

    Cinema audience
    Cinema admissions are at a 10-year high
    Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone is the most successful UK film at the UK box office of all time, taking £66m.

  • Titanic is the most popular film at the UK box office of all time, taking £68m.

  • There are 3,164 cinema screens in the UK.

  • There are 224 multiplex cinemas in the UK, owning than 2,000 of all screens.

  • The average price of a cinema ticket in the UK is £4.14.

    Sources: British Film Institute, Film Council, Screen Finance, Screen Digest, Nielsen EDI.



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    • UK films in focus
    In-depth report on the highs and lows of British cinema

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