Blockbuster sales at Odeon as Spider-Man swings in to rescue
Blockbuster sales at Odeon as Spider-Man steps in to save: Movie theater chain enjoys busiest Friday in 18 months
Odeon celebrated its busiest Friday in 18 months after the release of the latest Spider-Man movie last week.
The UK’s largest cinema chain said June 2 – the day after the opening of Spider-Man: Across The Spider-Verse starring Jake Johnson and Hailee Steinfeld – was its best Friday since December 2021. That was when Spider-Man: No Way Home was issued.
The success of the latest Spider-Man movie is a big boost for movie theaters fighting to bounce back from Covid as revenues collapsed.
Box office sales at Odeon’s 116 cinemas were also boosted by the remake of Disney’s The Little Mermaid, starring Halle Bailey as Ariel.
Covid bounce-back: Spider-Man: Across The Spider-Verse is drawing crowds following its release last week
Suzie Welch, Odeon’s interim director for the UK and Ireland, said: ‘We look forward to a fantastic lineup of films in the coming months, with a strong and varied roster to suit every taste and the return of both Oscar-winning filmmakers and iconic characters. to the silver screen this summer.’
Cinemas – including Odeon and Cineworld – are pinning their hopes on a summer full of major blockbusters.
Movies expected to draw the crowd include Transformers: Rise Of The Beasts, Indiana Jones And The Dial Of Destiny, and Barbie.
The UK Cinema Association said cinemas have remained an affordable activity amid eye-watering increases in the cost of living, with the average ticket price in UK cinemas set to reach £7.69 by 2022.
But cinemas are struggling with skyrocketing energy costs after the Russian invasion of Ukraine