Irish cinemas welcome record audience numbers for National Cinema Day

Irish cinemas who took part in Saturday’s National Cinema Day have reported record-breaking admissions at their venues

Figures released by leading box office analysts Comscore confirm that on National Cinema Day, Saturday 2 September saw approx 217,000 cinema admissions across Ireland.

This is an impressive 8.5% increase over last year’s inaugural National Cinema Day.  Over 99% of Irish cinemas took part in the initiative, which this year was supported by Screen Ireland.

Enticed by a bargain ticket price of just €4 but also by shows featuring a diverse mix of current and recent film releases as well as much-loved classics, cinema-goers across Ireland responded in huge numbers to the invitation to celebrate the unique big screen experience.

Amongst the best-performing titles on the day were The Equalizer 3; Ballywalter; Apocalypse Clown; Tarrac; with audiences still continuing to flock to favourites such as Barbie and Oppenheimer.

Most cinemas reported sold out shows throughout the day, with many venues having their busiest single day in their history.

National Cinema Day was developed by the wider Irish film industry and mirrored similar initiatives taking place all across the world, including the UK, US and others.

Welcoming the success of the event, Mark Doherty, Managing Director, Century Cinemas Letterkenny, said: “Approximately 217,000 admissions is one of the biggest cinema-going days ever in Ireland – what a celebration of cinema!

“National Cinema Day was an incredible success all over Ireland with admission records smashed, most shows sold out and an amazing atmosphere in every cinema.

“Hardworking cinema staff and management all over the country deserve huge thanks for making it such a wonderful occasion, and of course we want to say a huge thank you to audiences who came out to the big screen in their thousands.”