UK Film Council Unveil Top Ten Box Office Movies

'Casino Royale' and 'Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest' have catapulted into the top ten highest grossing films at the UK box office taking more than £50 million each in 2006, according to new figures released by the UK Film Council.
Casino Royale is the most commercially successful Bond to date – taking just three weeks to surpass 'Die Another Day’s' final total of £36 million.
Only eight other films have ever broken through the £50 million barrier.
The top ten highest grossing films at the all time UK box office are:

1. Titanic (1998) £69,025,646
2. Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone (2001) £66,096,060
3. The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001) £63,009,288
4. The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003) £61,062,348
   
5. Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002) £57,600,094
6. Casino Royale (2006) £55,504,945
7. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (2002)
   £54,780,731
8. Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest (2006) £52,515,550
   
9. The Full Monty (1997)£52,232,058
10. Star Wars Episode 1: The Phantom Menace (1999) £51,063,811

The UK Film Council’s new research and statistics bulletin provides the latest data and market intelligence on film in the UK.
The top 20 UK films grossed £151 million at the box office in 2006 with Casino Royale, The Da Vinci Code, Flushed Away, The Queen, Stormbreaker, Children of Men, The History Boys and The Wind that Shakes the Barley the most popular. The latter proved to be Ken Loach’s most successful film to date whilst also picking up the prestigious Palme d’Or at the Cannes film festival.
The bulletin also reveals that a total of £762 million was taken at the UK box office in 2006, 1% down on 2005, while admissions stood at 157 million, down 5% on last year, partly due to World Cup fever and record temperatures.
Turning to the small screen, there has been a gradual decline in the number of films shown on BBC1, BBC2, ITV1 and Channel 4 over the last 10 years - down from 2807 in 1997 to 2011 films in 2006. One in five films broadcast on television last year was British. However, the proportion of recent UK films (less than 8 years old) shown on the main networks has increased over the last five years from 2.8% in 2002 to 5.2% last year. Recent British films shown on BBC1 have more than doubled in five years from 3.8% in 2002 to 8.2% in 2006.
Chief Executive Officer of the UK Film Council, John Woodward said: "British filmmakers make brilliant films which audiences flock to see, that’s why Casino Royale jumped straight into the £50 million club.
"Last year’s most successful British films at the UK box office demonstrate the sheer range and style of film we can make, from high concept visual effects productions to films which reflect British culture and history."
(DS/SP)