Snacks fall at cinemas

Britons shelled out 2.1 per cent less for foyer snacks in the six months to July, so listed cinemas chain Cineworld is looking to roll out branches of Starbucks at its sites to entice richer movie fans.

"We're getting older, better-off people are coming into cinemas," said chief executive Steve Wiener. A recent live screening of a Westlife concert sold out "and brought in a very different demographic to our cinemas — a lot of middle-aged ladies", Wiener added. They're typically big fans of frappucinos, panini and hummus, which Cineworld is introducing.

Overall the chain grew revenues by 1.1 per cent to £165.4m thanks to the number of customers rising by 4.1 per cent.

Upcoming releases such as the new James Bond movie, Skyfall, starring Daniel Craig, pictured, are expected to help the group hit expectations in the second half.

Mr Weiner said: "Once again our results show that cinema is a resilient investment in challenging economic times."