Admissions jump at Everyman cinema chain despite ‘challenging’ backdrop

Cinema chain Everyman has revealed that sales surged by more than a fifth over the past year following a jump in admissions and higher ticket prices.

Boss Alex Scrimgeour hailed the performance over the first half of 2025, saying it reflected the “successful execution” of Everyman’s growth strategy.

Shares in the company rose in early trading on Monday morning as a result.

The company said it is trading in line with its forecasts for the full year, despite a “challenging economic environment”.

It told shareholders on Monday that group revenues rose by 21% to £56.5 million for the half-year to July 3, compared with a year earlier.

This was supported by a 15% jump in admissions to 2.2 million for the half-year.

It was among cinema groups to have been boosted by major new releases over the period including Thunderbolts, A Minecraft Movie and Mission Impossible: Final Reckoning.

The chain said the average price paid for a ticket rose 6% to £12.46, while there was also a 5.9% increase on the amount spent by customers on food and drinks.

Everyman currently runs 48 cinemas across the UK, after growing further with the opening of its latest venue in Brentford in March.

It plans one further opening this year at The Whiteley in Bayswater next month.

The UK’s fourth biggest cinema operator said it will open two more venues next year and highlighted a “strong pipeline” of future developments as it continues with expansion efforts.

Mr Scrimgeour, the former Cote restaurant boss, said: “Our performance in the first half reflects the successful execution of our strategy, with growth across all key metrics and ongoing delivery of our measured expansion programme.

“This is driven by Everyman’s unique brand of high-quality, experience-led cinema.

“We look forward to building on this momentum in the second half of the year.”

Shares in the company were 6.6% higher in early trading.