Daily Teessider

Middlesbrough Cineworld cinema

Cinema chain blames World Cup for slump in takings and pins hopes on wave of 3D films, including latest JK Rowling adaptation the Deathly Hallows: Part 1.

Cineworld said admissions dropped by 681,000 to 22.7m in the first six months of the year as Britons chose the action in the Cape Town over Iron Man 2 and Robin Hood. Steve Wiener, Cineworld’s chief executive, said British gross box office takings were down 30% for the month of the tournament, compared with the near-10% uplifts enjoyed by the industry in May and July.

Cineworld hopes 3D Harry Potter will Middlesbrough film goers back in

Trading in the second half has been given an early boost by the runaway success of Toy Story 3, which is on course to overtake Mamma Mia as the UK’s second-highest grossing film of all time, as well as Teesside favourite Eclipse, the latest Twilight series offering.

Cineworld Middlesbrough also expects films such as Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps and Little Fockers to boost takings this winter but their success is expected to be dwarfed by that of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1, which is the first 3D installment of the series.