Cineworld relies on 007 to salvage tough year

James Bond came to the rescue of Cineworld in 2012 after the release of Skyfall, starring Daniel Craig helped drive a turnaround in revenues. The cinema chain said sales rose 2.4 per cent in the year to 27 December, offsetting a 1.4 per cent decline in the summer as film fans stayed at home to enjoy one-off events such as the Diamond Jubilee, Euro 2012 and the London Olympics.

"It was the bumpy ride we expected," according to finance director Philip Bowcock. "We were quite happy with the year overall, but we're hoping for 2013 to be marginally ahead of last year since we haven't got big football championships or Olympics keeping viewers at home." Box office takings rose 3.9 per cent in 2012.