Takings for British films top £1bn for first time

The public flocked to see British films last year as UK box-office takings passed £1bn for the first time. The British Film Institute, publishing its 10th annual Statistical Yearbook yesterday, hailed 2011 as a year in which "British film thrived".

Audiences spent just over £1bn on more than 172 million tickets, up from £645m a decade ago and 5 per cent higher than in 2010. Independent British films had their best year for a decade, accounting for 13.3 per cent of box-office receipts, up from 3.8 per cent in 2001.

The top three films – Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows: Part 2, The King's Speech and The Inbetweeners Movie – were all British, with domestic movies taking a record 13 per cent share of takings. The Harry Potter film, made in the UK with American backing, took £73m in Britain and £1.3bn worldwide. The Oscar-laden King's Speech took £46m in the UK and The Inbetweeners Movie was close behind with £45m.