Sequels and kid flicks just the ticket at box office
Animated film Shrek 2 took top place at the Irish box office last year, grossing an estimated €5.3 million.
In joint second place was Harry Potter: The Prisoner of Azkaban, which earned €3.1m, as did Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason.
All of the top three were sequels, as was Spider-Man 2, which came in at number five on the chart and earned €2.4m, and Lord of the Rings: Return of the King, which pulled in €2m and placed jointly at number 10 with epic Troy.
Lord of the Rings: Return of the King was released in 2003, and thus earned significantly more overall, but the new figures take only take into account ticket sales from last year.
Other sequels in the top 25 included The Bourne Supremacy (13th), Scary Movie 3 (16th) and Scooby Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed (joint 17th).
The pattern reflects major Hollywood studios’ feeling that sequels to successful films are safe ventures, almost guaranteed to draw the punters and thus boost earnings.
Sequels to children’s films are particularly popular, as evidenced by the success of the latest instalments in the Shrek, Harry Potter, and Scooby-Doo series.
Other films aimed primarily at children also showed strongly at the box office last year.
The Incredibles and Shark Tale, both animated films, took sixth and seventh place respectively on the list, earning €2.3m and €2.2m respectively. Both are still on release, as is Bridget Jones, which means their final yields will be higher.
Meanwhile, one of the most controversial films of last year is expected to be re-released in March.
The Passion of the Christ, Mel Gibson’s blood-soaked retelling of the last hours of Jesus’s life, will be screened to coincide with Easter.
The film was the eighth-highest-grossing film at the Irish box office last year, earning €2.2 million.
The 2004 box office figures were compiled by Carlton Screen Advertising, which monitors cinema admissions.
They are estimates, and exclude ticket sales for previews.
