Big move to the movies

Cinema attendance in the UK is now at its highest for 30 years. In 2002, a total 176 million box office tickets were sold, the EU's second highest figure after France.

Young people aged 15 to 24 are the most likely age group to go to the cinema. Fifty per cent of this group visited the cinema once a month or more in Britain in 2002, compared with 17 per cent of those aged 35 and over.

In 2002 around a third of 4- to 14-year-olds went to the cinema at least once a month.

Over half of 15- to 34-year-olds and two thirds of those aged 35 and over who went to the cinema once a month or more went with a partner or spouse.