Everyman Cinemas cautions over year-end trading as this year’s blockbusters fail to impress
As 2016's year-end blockbuster hits look unlikely to match the ticket sales of last year's, Everyman Cinemas expects sales to be down.
The boutique cinema owner, which is listed on London's Alternative Investment Market (Aim), has cautioned over year-end trading in light of uncertainty in the months ahead.
Last year, films like James Bond's Spectre and Star Wars: The Force Awakens sent profits up 49 per cent to £12.1m in the first half of the year, but Crispin Lilly, chief executive, told the Press Association he doesn't think this year's films can compete.
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The two big blockbusters left this year are Star Wars: Rogue One and Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, both of which are spin-offs from major film series that Lilly said are "unknown quantities".
Everyman Cinemas has launched two new cinemas in 2016, one in Bristol and one in Harrogate, with a third in Chelmsford slated to open by Christmas. It also acquired four former Odeon locations last year.
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Revenue rose in the first half of 2016 due to the company's expanded estate. Everyman plans to expand its cinema locations from 20 to 40 over the next five years.
Share prices surged at the end of the summer, reaching 117p in September, but they dropped at the beginning of November. Shares are currently trading at 101p.