Cinema attendances smash records going back to the Sixties

Admissions to cinemas in the UK this year are expected to be the highest for 31 years, in spite of the British film industry remaining firmly in the doldrums.

Hits such as The Lord of the Rings, Star Wars: Episode II and Monsters, Inc. are forecast to propel this year's attendances to 174 million, the highest since 1971, when 182 million paid to see the silver screen.

The figures, published by the Cinema Advertising Association, will nail the lie that home videos, satellite television and, more recently, DVDs would kill off the cinema. But they are likely to do nothing to cheer up British film makers, none of whose efforts this year has made it into the top five.

The association describes 2002 as a "fantastic" year, with the most successful January since 1972, February the highest single month since 1969, the highest June since 1972 and the best July since 1971. March was 43 per cent up on last year and May 20 per cent up.

"It is an absolutely wonderful year for cinemas and film makers," said Sandra Dickinson, of the research and marketing department. "There isn't a single reason why 2002 is being so successful, but the number of excellent films on release is the main cause of the success. There is a terrific depth and breadth, from Lord of the Rings, Monsters, Inc., Minority Report, Spider-Man and Ocean's Eleven. There has been something for everyone."

July was a particularly successful month, with 15 million people visiting the cinema – an average of 3.38 million a week. In terms of cash receipts, the launch of Scooby-Doo to coincide with the beginning of the school holidays proved good timing and helped to draw in £14.3m. The most popular movie, however, was Minority Report, with an income for the month of £16m. Other films cashing in on the school holidays were Spider-Man, grossing £6.1m for the month, and Stuart Little 2, with £5m.

Taste, and budgets, have changed considerably since 1971, with Disney's The Aristocats and television's feature-length version of On the Buses topping the charts then, compared with The Lord of the Rings and Monsters, Inc. this year. But other changes have been factors in the resurgence of filmgoing.

Patrick Frater, international editor of Screen International, said: "Quite simply, cinemas have been improving in quality over the past 10 years. The multiplexes of today are much more friendly places to get large numbers of people in than the fleapits of 15 years ago.

"And there is a much greater amount of publicity involving cinema and cinema celebrities than there used to be, so that helps attract audiences.

"The main factor, however, is the quality of the films. We always knew this year was going to be big, with huge franchises like Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings coming at the end of this year, a raft of other popular films like Spider-Man and Minority Report, and a James Bond film, Die Another Day, scheduled for later in the year."

Mr Frater had some words of comfort for the British film industry. "Just looking at the top five is not representative," he said. "Harry Potter – which drew most of its attendances last year – was a co-US/UK production, so over a 52-week period, that would have been a huge success. There has been About a Boy this year, too. And last year was very successful, with British films like Bridget Jones's Diary and Captain Corelli's Mandolin doing very well. If you look at it that way, things don't look too bad."

Then and now

The Top 5 films in 1971

1 The Aristocats – Disney cartoon in which two cats are "lost" by a butler to prevent them inheriting a fortune from his mistress.

2. On the Buses – Feature-length version of the TV series in which a revolt by women drivers provides an opportunity for a farcically sexist script.

3. Soldier Blue – Anti-violence Western widely criticised for its violence.

4. There's a Girl in My Soup – Peter Sellers as a TV personality irresistible to women.

5. Percy – Hywel Bennett is given a penis transplant and sets out to find the donor.

The Top 5 films 2002 (to date)

1 The Lord of the Rings – Lavish depiction of J R R Tolkien's sagas in Middle Earth.

2. Monsters, Inc. – Computer-generated animation depicting a team of monsters and their efforts to frighten children.

3. Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones – Latest in the George Lucas saga of good and evil doing battle in space.

4. Spider-Man – The comic-book superhero brought to life using spectacular special effects.

5. Ocean's Eleven – Loose remake of the original Rat Pack casino heist flick.