In December, the UK and Ireland box office made £115.5 million ($143.5 million), a good end to 2024. This number is a big 21% rise compared to December 2023. The region kept its annual total of £1.06 billion ($1.31 billion), 8% more than in 2022, thanks to a strong performance in December.
Jon M. Chu’s version of “Wicked” was the biggest hit at the box office in December, making £23.2 million to stay on top for the second month. With this win, the movie made a total of £55.6 million, making it the third most successful movie of 2024. Only “Inside Out 2” ($59.2 million) and “Deadpool & Wolverine” ($57.8 million) have made more. “Wicked” is now the third most successful musical ever in the region, after “Mamma Mia: Here We Go Again!” (£65.6 million) and “Wonka” (£63.5 million).
Disney also showed its strength at the box office with “Moana 2,” which came in second place in December and made £21.8 million. The total lifetime gross for this cartoon sequel is £36.4 million, almost double the total lifetime gross for the first movie, which was £20.6 million. Also, “Mufasa: The Lion King” opened in third place and made £17.4 million in its first two weeks in theaters.
Audiences were still drawn to family-friendly films. “Sonic the Hedgehog 3” started well, making £16 million in its first week. The latest movie in the popular series, “Paddington in Peru,” made an extra £6.4 million, bringing its total to £34.2 million. However, this is less than the films that came before it, which made £38 million and £42.7 million.
Also, prestige films did well. With a total of £31 million, Ridley Scott’s “Gladiator II” is almost at a major milestone. It’s missing the original film’s record of £31.3 million, taking the top spot as Scott’s most successful movie in the region. “Conclave” by Edward Berger hit home with audiences and made £5.8 million, making it Black Bear’s second-most popular release.
This month, many different kinds of movies came out, like “Better Man,” a biopic of Robbie Williams that made £2.9 million in its first week. Several Indian films also had an effect. “Pushpa 2—The Rule,” an action drama in Telugu that made £1.8 million, was the highest-grossing Indian film in South Africa in 2024.
In 2025, movies like “Nosferatu” by Robert Eggers, “We Live in Time” by John Crowley, “2073” by Asif Kapadia, and “A Complete Unknown” by Disney about Bob Dylan are becoming increasingly popular. These films suggest that the box office surge will last into the new year.
