Hyper-intense one-shot war drama 1917 swept up audiences all over the UK as it took in a tremendous £29.3m at the box office and stole #1 place.
As a result, the month saw the strongest January in seven years, which works out as a weighty uplift of +20.4% on last year.
Behind this multi-award-winner and snapping up #2 place was Greta Gerwig’s fresh interpretation of the 1868 novel Little Women, which totalled a notable £14.4m with its stellar cast and costumes.
The ever-popular space saga Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker sank to #3 place, but still raked in a sizeable £13.7m into the month, while Dwayne Johnson and co. returned to the wilderness in teen sequel Jumanji: The Next Level (£10.2m), which fell to #4.
Bribery and blackmail came to London in crime comedy The Gentlemen (#5), alongside action-comedy Bad Boys for Life (#6) with Will Smith, as they both obtained around £10m.
Further laughs came from Taika Waititi’s dark WWII comedy in critically acclaimed Jojo Rabbit (£6.4m), which shot to #7 place, ahead of fanciful family features Frozen 2 (#8) and Spies in Disguise (#9), which carried £5.0m and £4.0m into the month respectively.
Tom Hooper’s infamous adaptation of famous musical Cats completed the top ten with £3.5m.
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Thanks to the success of Mendes’ 1917, together with Little Women and Star Wars, the average weekly figure peaked at 3.73m, which is impressive for this time of year.
More excitingly, the Monthly Admissions Total (MAT) lifted to the largest we’ve seen in decades with a total of 178.8m, which is up a small, but significant +2.5% year-on-year.
Jam-packed with film product of all genres that will please every palate, May this year is sure to be a showstopper.
Two titles at the helm of the box office are Avengers blockbuster spin-off Black Widow (£30m) and the ninth instalment of the turbo-charged Fast and Furious 9 (£25m), which will wow younger audiences nationwide.
Released in time for the half-term rush are popular kids’ animations The Spongebob Movie: Sponge on the Run and Scoob! based on the country’s favourite detective dog, as well as an adaptation of fantasy novel Artemis Fowl.
Twenty-somethings will be enthralled by everything from Arthurian legend The Green Knight with Dev Patel and psychological thriller The Woman in the Window to harrowing horrors Saint Maud and Spiral: From the Book of Saw.
World War II stories Greyhound with Tom Hanks and Six Minutes to Midnight look to attract upmarket audiences, while comic adaptation Blithe Spirit with Judi Dench and LA love story Covers entertain older cinemagoers.
Showcasing a small, but punchy film slate, July is well equipped for the school holiday boom as it brings with it the mischievous return of Minions 2: The Rise of Gru (£42m) and Disney’s new wild adventure Jungle Cruise, starring Emily Blunt and Jack Whitehall.
Much-anticipated dystopian action Tenet (£30), alongside the long-awaited return of iconic Top Gun: Maverick (£20) and sci-fi comedy Free Guy will entertain the younger male audience; and finally, a couple of spine-chilling horrors will round off the roster up and down the country with the next chapter of The Purge and twisted cult flick The Other Lamb.