Charts A and B illustrate which countries’ films were shown most frequently in UK and Australian cinemas in 2001 and how many tickets were sold in both countries between 1976 and 2006.
Overall, American films were the most popular with both Australian and British audiences in 2001. In contrast, Australian films ranked lowest in their home market, while others were the least favoured in Britain. Additionally, ticket sales increased over thirty years.
Examining the details of Chart A, in 2001, a significant majority of both Britons and Australians preferred US-produced films, with around 87% and 67%, respectively. British-produced films comprised about 21% of the UK cinema market and 6% of the Australian market. Interestingly, Australian films received more attention among the British than among own people, with 11% and 2%, respectively. There were also notable differences in the screening of other films, which accounted for 5% of the British public’s preferences and 17% of the Australian public’s.
Furthermore, an analysis of Chart B shows that in the UK, cinema admissions rose to 125 million between 1975 and 1978 but then fell sharply from 120 million to 57 million between 1978 and 1984. Subsequently, from 1984 onwards there was a gradual rise, with minor fluctuations. Meanwhile, in Australia, the number of visitors to cinemas also increased, reaching its highest peak in 2002 with approximately 97 million visitors. However, by 2006, this figure had moderately decreased to 81 million.