Warner Bros reclaims UK distributor crown

Warner Bros UK has been named the number one film distributor in the UK for the third time in four years, according to Rentrak figures.

Warner Bros UK grossed $321m (£194m) from Jan 1 to Dec 31 to claim the top spot in the theatrical distributor rankings and a 16.5% market share.

This was fuelled by the box office performances of The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug (£32.9m), Man of Steel (£29.9m), Gravity (£27.3m), The Hangover Part III (£19.3m), The Great Gatsby (£15.7m) and The Conjuring (£10.4m).

However, the overall figures are down on previous years. In 2010, Warner Bros grossed £204.1m and claimed an 18.4% market share, and grossed £205.8m with a 18.04% market share in 2011.

In 2012, when Sony proved the UK’s number one distributor as a result of the success of Skyfall, Warner Bros UK reported grosses of £148m.

Warner Bros Pictures International is expected to confirm later this week a number in the region of $3.14bn for the calendar year and is locked in a battle with Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures International for the annual box office crown after executives from that studio said they had crossed $3bn for the year.

Josh Berger, president and managing director of Warner Bros. UK, Ireland and Spain, said: “We’re thrilled to be named the UK’s number one film distributor for the third time in four years, a first for any studio here in the UK.

“2013 was one of the most tightly-contested years in recent memory and the result was only confirmed in December, following the stand-out performances of the hit British movie, Gravity and the Christmas smash, The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug.

“This magnificent achievement is down to the creativity and expertise of our filmmaking colleagues and our market-leading team.”

Warner Bros grew its UK presence throughout 2013 with the launch Warner Bros. Studios Leavesden in June and Warner Bros. Studio Tour London – The Making of Harry Potter.

It also opened its first-ever West End musical, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, and launched Warner Bros. Creative Talent, a new investment in UK skills and training, which provides funding support and industry insight and experience across Warner Bros.’ UK film, TV, games and theatre operations to talented young people.

The 2014 slate includes Godzilla, Christopher Nolan’s Interstellar, Horrible Bosses 2, The Hobbit: There and Back Again, Edge of Tomorrow and Jupiter Ascending.

Doug Liman sci-fi action movie Edge of Tomorrow, starring Tom Cruise and Emily Blunt, and the Wachowski siblings’ Jupiter Ascending, starring Mila Kunis and Channing Tatum, were the first two movies to be produced at Warner Bros. Studios Leavesden.