Mr Richards highlighted that UK picture houses experienced "one of the biggest Decembers in history," with box office hits like Mufasa: The Lion King and Moana ' drawing families into theatres.
Vue boss Tim Richards says it was an "extraordinary" Christmas for British cinemas but cautioned that the industry is still in "recovery mode" after strikes in Hollywood put a damper on the quantity of film releases.
Tim Richards, Vue's founder who opened the first venue in Scotland back in 2000, announced ambitious plans for 19 major renovations across Europe, using Swindon as the "prototype" for these modern makeovers.
He said that cinemas are still grappling with the aftermath of a disruptive strike in Hollywood in 2023, which saw screenwriters and actors protesting over job conditions and salaries, effectively grinding some movie production and releases to a halt.
Looking ahead, Mr Richards anticipates big box office success from forthcoming titles including Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning and Avatar: Fire and Ash.
