Irish audiences lead Europe's cinema boom as global box office hits record €4bn

Jessie Buckley in a scene from "Hamnet." 

Despite the growing influence of streaming services like Netflix, Amazon and Apple, Irish cinemas have recorded an impressive year so far with 7.2m tickets sold from January to July. 

With admissions up 12% on the same period last year, the sector is on course to record the highest annual total since 2019. According to figures by media company Pearl & Dean, the most commercially successful film was the Michael Jackson biopic Michael, followed by Toy Story 5 and The Odyssey. The Super Mario Galaxy Movie took fourth, ahead of The Devil Wears Prada 2 and the Oscar-winning Hamnet, starring Irish actors Jessie Buckley and Paul Mescal. 

2026 started strongly, supported by high-profile releases, while a steady pipeline of major titles helped maintain momentum across the spring months. “This year's success at the box office speaks to a well-rounded ​release calendar that features a bit of everything and appeals to a wide spectrum of moviegoers,” said Shawn Robbins, director of movie analytics for ticket seller Fandango and the founder and owner ‌of Box ⁠Office Theory. The momentum is expected to be maintained over the coming Autumn and Winter months with a number of high-profile sequels, including The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping, Avengers: Doomsday, Jumanji: Open World and Dune: Part 3 – all due to be released in the week leading up to Christmas.

Irish cinemas recorded the highest weekend admissions of 2026 on the recent National Cinema Weekend of September 5th and 6th, marking the two-day celebration of cinema. Attendance numbers reached 281,140, with audiences across the country enjoying the big-screen experience from just €4. Achieving a 3-fold increase on the 2024 National Cinema Day, many cinemas recorded their busiest weekend of the year, with some even opening overnight to cater for the demand. Cinema operators noticed that the initiative attracted both new and occasional cinema-goers, with many audiences attending multiple films. Occupancy rates of over 95% were recorded in many cinemas, across both multiplexes and arthouse cinemas, showcasing a strong Irish audience appetite for a variety of films including Irish and international titles. 

Screen Ireland was the official sponsor of National Cinema Weekend 2026, with CEO Désirée Finnegan commenting: “Our sincere thanks to the network of Irish cinemas, exhibitors, distributors and film teams who played a huge role in making this weekend an incredible success. For Screen Ireland, it underlines the importance and value of the shared cinema experience – connecting audiences to Irish stories on screen and building community right across the country.” 

For many years, Ireland has had the highest cinema attendance per capita in Europe. The Republic also has the highest screen density per capita of any European country, with an average of one cinema screen per 10,000 people. “The story here is that post-Covid there are real prospects for growing the domestic film sector,” said Rónán Ó Muirthile, Head of Faculty at Dun Laoghaire Institute of Art, Design and Technology. “Irish people go to the cinema much more than their European counterparts, and given the option of authentic Irish stories that are well told, they will quite happily move away from international fare.”

According to Gower Street Analytics, global box office reached a record €4bn in August 2026 – an all-time high and the strongest monthly result of the decade so far. Results were particularly impressive across Europe, the Middle East and Africa, where box office was up 88% year-on-year, marking the eighth consecutive month of double-digit growth. Laura Houlgatte, CEO of the International Union of Cinemas, commented: “This summer has provided a powerful demonstration of public enthusiasm for the Big Screen and the theatrical experience. 

Audiences across Europe turned out in huge numbers for major releases, once again showing the extraordinary ability of cinemas to bring people together around films that become cultural events. The sector has every reason to look ahead with confidence. Our collective priority must be to build on this momentum – ensuring a strong and diverse supply of films, continuing to invest in the cinema experience and giving audiences compelling reasons to return to the Big Screen again and again.”