Gross film box office receipts in Ireland soared to €101,671,092 in 2023, an 11% increase from €91,563,651 the previous year and the highest since 2019.
And it became a year that will go down in history as a huge hit. barbie It was officially the most successful film release in history in this country.
Cillian Murphy in Oppenheimer.Photo: Melinda Sue Gordon
The pink-coated blockbuster, starring Margot Robbie as a puppet, ended the year with a gross of 9,934,064 euros, breaking a 14-year box office record. Avatarwhich grossed €8,702,770 in Irish cinemas after its release in 2009.
The Greta Gerwig-directed puppet comedy and multi-award-winning film were released simultaneously last July. oppenheimer The film, called Babenheimer, attracted 799,000 admissions across Irish cinemas in the first week of the two films, the highest total admissions of all time.
oppenheimer took the Golden Globes by storm last weekend with five wins, including the Best Actor gong for Cork actor Cillian Murphy.
The film, directed by Christopher Nolan, came second in last year’s Irish box office rankings with just under €6.5 million.
At a table dominated by family blockbusters and superhero-themed movies, Super mario bros ‘ was the only film to break the 5 million euro barrier.
Meanwhile, experts predict that 2024 will be another lucrative period for movie theater chains, with an impressive and diverse lineup of theaters throughout the year.
“The first full year after the pandemic, 2023 has been a year full of hope, thanks to Babenheimer and the incredible success of Babenheimer.” Super mario bros And recently Wonkait was a year of accomplishments time and time again,” said Damon Westbury of Pearl & Dean Ireland.
Timothee Chalamet in “Wonka”.Photo: Jaap Buitendijk
“barbie Making history as the biggest film in Irish history and reaffirming our huge appetite for moviegoing, it was definitely a major highlight for us.
“We have even more great blockbusters coming up in 2024. Joker: Folie à deux and paddington perubacked by popular family-friendly gems such as: Despicable Me 4 and Mufasa: The Lion King, I’m really looking forward to another great year for the film industry. ”