Box office sales fall as young shun cinema

Falling numbers of young people going on traditional cinema dates are linked with dramatic fall-off in Irish box offices sales.

The easy access to movies on tablets and smartphones are thought to have played a part in movie attendances in Ireland plummeting by over a fifth in the last seven years, with 4m fewer tickets sold in the country’s cinemas last year compared to 2007.

New figures also reveal that annual box office revenue has fallen by over €20m since the height of the boom in 2007.