Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix” Tops at the UK Box Office

The UK Film Council has released a new report today that shows Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix led the way this year at the UK Box Office. The Guardian reports that Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, “a joint UK-US production from Warner Brothers,” has “grossed £49.2m up to September 23.”

It has been one of the most enduring cinematic cliches that the troubled British film industry is regarded as an embarrassment, churning out unloved productions made on a shoestring that struggle to compete with Hollywood blockbusters.

But this year the industry’s fortunes have seen a big improvement as Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Hot Fuzz, Miss Potter and Atonement have all helped to expand the market share for British productions at the UK box office. British films account for 27% of box office takings so far this year, against 19% for the whole of 2006, according to figures published today by the UK film industry.

John Woodward, chief executive officer of the UK Film Council, said: “It’s been a strong half year of consolidation for film production in the UK.Currently domestic films are steady and we’ve had strong inward investment from the US again this year. When you couple that with the incredibly strong box office for British films you can see that the underlying trends are very healthy.”
A spokeswoman added: “We are not just talking about the Harry Potter effect, though powerful films like Potter or Bond will always have their own impact. We have had the most amazing year with a wide range of different British films, starting on the tail end of The History Boys, followed by Notes on a Scandal and The Last King of Scotland.”