When schools across the UK closed early last week as record temperatures reached 100 degrees Fahrenheit, the hottest June on record, one person was a notable benefactor.
Movie theaters across the country reported packed screenings during the usually quiet mid-afternoon hours. Parents, bogged down with options for keeping their kids entertained and cool (and importantly, finding quiet time to catch up on work emails), were seen heading straight from the school gates to the air-conditioned theater lobby.
The early summer heatwave that hit Europe last week is now believed to be the most severe and widespread in modern history, causing much concern as large parts of the continent sweltered with record temperatures. Naturally, given the risks, few people will try to profit from this situation.
But the statistics back up anecdotal evidence of an increase in cinema attendance during the heat wave, with one blockbuster movie scooping up the rewards.
Toy Story 5 has already had its biggest UK premiere of the year this past weekend, opening with an impressive $20.2 million and capturing 72% of ticket sales in the first three days. But the heat wave kept the momentum going into the second week.
According to statistics as of June 29, “Toy Story 5” has grossed $38.6 million in the UK. However, most of that increase was gained mid-week (in fact by Saturday and Sunday temperatures had cooled across the UK).
Phil Clapp, chief executive of the British Film Institute, told Variety that while the heatwave could be a welcome boost to ticket sales, “there’s always the worry that it’s going to get so hot that people won’t come out of their homes at all.”
But that didn’t seem to be the case last week, with Toy Story 5 adding that it “raked in well over £1 million ($1.3 million) per day at the box office last week, even on the hottest day.”
Britain’s leading cinema chains, Odeon and Picturehouse, declined to release specific box office figures, but spokespeople for both companies emphasized that going to the movies is a relatively weather-independent activity. In a statement, an Odeon spokesperson said: “Our cinemas continue to offer a great day out no matter the weather,” while Picturehouse said: “It’s always great to have families at the cinema. Going to the cinema is an all-weather activity, rain or shine, and our £3 children’s ticket is attracting families to Picturehouse Cinemas.”
For many, movie theaters were one of the few air-conditioned sanctuaries in a country largely unequipped to deal with extreme temperatures, but that wasn’t always the case. Perhaps another reason why box office companies are reluctant to discuss the effects of the heat wave is that many air conditioning units across movie theater chains reportedly broke down, leaving audiences (almost) as hot as outside.
In France, where temperatures have risen further, Variety has heard that many units have had to limit capacity due to the number of broken units. However, Marc-Olivier Sebag, general director of the French Film Federation, told Le Monde newspaper that local cinemas saw a 50% increase in attendance in the week of June 17-23 compared to the previous year, and a 36% increase compared to the same week in pre-COVID-19 (2017-2019).
