New figures reveal that the film and home entertainment industry is experiencing record sales as the British public opt for a cosy night in with a movie, according to the British Video Association (BVA).
The BVA recently announced DVD sales of an unprecedented 51.7 million to the end of September, the UK's best ever third quarter performance, up 6.5% on that of 2007.
Lavinia Carey, director general of the BVA, told One to One: "2007 was a record year for sales of DVD and so it's very encouraging to see another record nine months into 2008. Everyone enjoys a well-told story and at times of economic hardship, history has shown that UK consumers turn to the home entertainment and film industries for comfort. As a popular and value-for-money choice for leisure spend, we expect to see continued volume growth in our market, as consumers tighten their belts in response to increasing economic uncertainty."
The UK cinema industry has also seen its best performance in 40 years, with the Cinema Exhibitors' Association (CEA) announcing total admissions for the months of June to August this year of 53.6 million. This is a 6% increase on the same period last year, itself seen as a particularly strong performer in recent times.
Phil Clapp, chief executive of the CEA, added: "With films such as Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, Sex and the City, The Dark Knight, Mamma Mia! and Wall-E driving cinema audiences in another particularly miserable summer, it is understandable that the public find attractive,, affordable entertainment as some kind of escape, even if only for a few hours, from the prevailing gloom. We expect the latest Bond movie, Quantum of Solace, to have a similar effect at the end of this month."
Carey concluded: "We are now seeing Blu-ray contributing to the success of the home entertainment market. As this summer's successful films join the pre-Christmas line-up on all video formats, we are hopeful of another record year for the home entertainment sector."
For more info www.bva.org.uk
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