U.K. tix sales dip a bit
'98 sales were off 25% in December, 'Phantom' awaited
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A limp December, with ticket sales off 25%, put the finishing touches on a year that started strongly on the back of "Titanic" but began to sink in May.
The slip in admissions came as the U.K. is in the midst of a multiplex building boom, and boasts more top-quality screens than ever before.
But the picture is not all doom and gloom. The 1997 figures were exceptionally high, thanks to the likes of "The Full Monty" and "Bean," and audiences tend to fall back slightly after such an exaggerated spike.
The 1998 admissions total is still far above the 123 million recorded in 1996, and most observers are convinced that the upward march of British cinemagoing will resume this year, with blockbusters such as "Star Wars I: Phantom Menace" and "Notting Hill" on the horizon.
