2017 was a record-breaking year for family films at the Irish Box Office.
No fewer than six family films feature in 2017’s overall box office top ten takings in Ireland, that’s twice as many as last year and more than ever before.
It was also the first year a family film took the top spot since Despicable Me was the highest grossing film of 2013. Family movies accounted for 30% of all box office receipts with beasts, babies, bears, baddies, Batman and Buster Moon among the biggest attractions.
”In an era of personal devices and multi-screening, cinema remains one of the few remaining shared experiences that parents and children can enjoy together with no distractions. The incredible performance of the family genre at the ROI box office in 2017 demonstrates again how essential and personal cinema is to us. It is one of our first forms of entertainment and one we return to again and again. Even as adults, a trip to the cinema never loses its magic,” said Eoin Wrixon, CEO of Wide Eye Media.
Only four films in the top 10 weren’t family movies – Star Wars: The Last Jedi, Dunkirk, IT and Guardians of The Galaxy Vol. 2. Seven of the top 10 were sequels, remakes or part of an existing franchise, the other three being Dunkirk, Boss Baby and Sing, although sequels are now planned for both Boss Baby and Sing.
2017 was also a triumphant year for horror films with IT, Split and Get Out all grabbing the critics attention as well as huge audiences, and IT making it to seventh place in the top 10. This was the first time a horror has entered so highly since horror comedy Scary Movie took seventh place in 2000.
Guardians of The Galaxy Vol. 2 was Ireland’s favourite action film and Star Wars: The Last Jedi was the most-seen Sci-Fi movie. Daddy’s Home 2 was the biggest comedy of the year and Dunkirk was the number one drama.
La La Land was the most successful musical as well as the most popular romance, while Cardboard Gangsters, which was filmed and set in Darndale, Dublin and was the top Irish film.
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