British films flop

We are among the most avid cinema-goers in the world - but when it comes to making successful movies, we are reels behind Hollywood.

Only four British-made flicks have made it in to the latest Top 100, despite a record £729million investment in home-grown productions.

Three made it in to the Top 10 - Love Actually, Calendar Girls and Johnny English, grossing £35million, £ 20million and £19million respectively.

Next best was S Club: Seeing Double, which struggled in at 71 in the Film Council's Top 100 list, based on takings in British cinemas.

Two years ago there were four times as many British films in the chart with successes including About ABoy, Gosford Park and Bend It Like Beckham.

Sequels from Harry Potter and James Bond also helped pull in the crowds.

Ian Freer, from Empire magazine, said: 'The British film industry tends to make ordinary films about ordinary people, so ordinary people don't always want to go and watch them.

'It's a cut-throat industry. Private investors will only put money into sure winners. It will get even more difficult.'

Visits to cinemas were also down, with 167million last year compared with 176million in 2002, a five per cent fall. Britain is the third biggest nation of cinema-goers behind the US and Japan.