Oscar-winning film 1917 helps cinemas add silver lining to sales as consumer confidence peaks
British cinemas boomed in January thanks to the success of Oscar-winning film 1917, a report has said.
Sales of film tickets rose by 22 per cent compared to the same month in 2019 as viewers flocked to see Sam Mendes’s First World War epic, which picked up three Academy Awards on Sunday night.
The increase in spending reflected a rise in consumer confidence to its highest point in over three years, according to the data from Barclaycard.
Ticket sales rose by 22 per cent in January as viewers flocked to see Sam Mendes’s First World War epic 1917, which picked up three Academy Awards on Sunday night
But key areas of the High Street continued to struggle.
Restaurants lost out, seeing sales fall for the third month in a row, at the expense of takeaways, which pulled in 11.4 per cent more in January, compared to the same month last year.
Consumers are still hunting for value, with discount chains pulling in a 9.5 per cent sales increase, while greater concern for the environment is driving shoppers to be more selective about their purchases.
Spending in health and beauty stores rose 6 per cent, while sales of essential items such as food and fuel rose 3.7 per cent, compared to January last year.