Films produced by the U.K. made up 15 percent of the total global box office in 2012, the British Film Institute’s annual Statistical Yearbook says. The success of 2012 was partly thanks to the 23rd James Bond film, Skyfall.
According to The BBC, the BFI found that films produced in the U.K. made up $5.3 billion (£3.45 billion) of the world’s total box office gross. That’s 15.3 percent, down from 2011’s 17.2 percent.
Still, it’s an amazing number, considering that the all-time low was only set in 2009, when U.K. productions only made up 6.8 percent of the total global box office. The 2012 number is the third-highest on record.
Another amazing aspect of 2012 is that it largely rests on one film - Skyfall. While 2011 had Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 2 and The King’s Speech, Skyfall was the major force in 2012. The BFI said that Sam Mendes’ film is officially the highest-grossing movie in U.K. history, grossing £103 million in Bond’s home country, notes The Guardian.
In total, Skyfall, which is Daniel Craig’s third Bond movie, grossed $1.1 billion worldwide in 2012. Other big U.K. releases last year include The Woman in Black and The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel.
BFI chief Amanda Nevill said Skyfall “spearheaded another strong year for UK film internationally,” adding, “Our yearbook shows film's continued importance to the UK economy overall, with a record turnover of £7.7 billion and trade surplus of £1 billion in 2011.”
The yearbook also notes that movie audiences are getting older, with the 15-24 demographic only making up 25 percent of the total audience in U.K. cinemas.
image: Sony