Everyman cinema chain eyes ‘measured’ enlargement after Bridget Jones enhance

Everyman Media Group was boosted by the release of the latest Bridget Jones film at the start of the year, the upmarket cinema brand said on Tuesday.

The group told shareholders ‘Mad about the Boy’, which reportedly surpassed £100million on the international box office at the end of February with almost half coming from the UK, was the driver of ‘positive momentum’ in the first quarter.

It follows several challenging years for the cinema industry, which has been hampered by the pandemic, US writers strikes and frustration at the performance of some major releases.

Everyman, whose venues offer customers the opportunity to ‘swap your soft drink for a nice glass of red wine and a slice of freshly made pizza served to your seat,’ also updated investors on its expansion plans.

It saw three new openings last year, including a three-screen venue in Bury St Edmunds, a five-screen venue in Cambridge and a three-screen venue in Stratford International

A new venue in Brentford was opened in March 2025 and Everyman is planning another launch at The Whiteley in Bayswater, west London,  in the third quarter of this year.

Big hit: ‘Mad about the Boy’ reportedly surpassed £100million on the international box office at the end of February with almost half coming from the UK

The group, which now runs 48 sites across the country, said it would maintain its expansion but with a focus on further cutting its debts over the coming year.

Alex Scrimgeour, chief executive of Everyman Media Group, added: ‘Our measured approach to expansion remains a priority, with two exciting new venues opening in 2025 and several further opportunities in the pipeline.’

The group enjoyed solid growth in 2025, with admissions up 15 per cent to 4.3million tickets and membership numbers up by a blockbuster 65 per cent.

Revenues rocketed 17.9 per cent to £107.2million, as the group also benefited from higher ticket prices and concession spend.

But the group faced a tough final quarter of 2024 after the disappointing box office performance of the Joker sequel and a congested calendar of five blockbuster titles in five weeks, which resulted in films competing against each other.

Everyman and the wider industry are also still recovering from the impact of the despite the Hollywood film and television strikes of late 2023.

But management expects a ‘much improved and consistently-phased film slate’ this year and beyond, citing the upcoming release of Mission Impossible: The Final Reckoning, Lilo & Stitch, F1, Superman, Downton Abbey 3, and Wicked.

Scrimgeour added: ‘Despite a heavily disrupted film slate in the first half of the year, we delivered strong growth across all key revenue generating metrics in 2024, with admissions, average spend and market share all up year-on-year.

‘Our distinctive blend of film and hospitality continues to resonate with audiences and with a rapidly expanding membership base, it is clear that guests continue to choose Everyman.

‘With the impact of recent industry strikes now behind us, we are confident of strong performance in 2025 underpinned by a well-balanced, consistently-phased film slate.’

Everyman shares were up 5.8 per cent to 39.67p approaching midday, taking 12-month losses to 29.2 per cent.