Admissions also tracking to be down on 2012’s 172.5m; eOne leads the independent sector for second straight year, also topping Paramount and Sony.

Scroll down for top 10 films/distributors

Even without a single film hitting £50m (compared to three in 2012), the UK box office was only down 1% on 2012 with an overall gross of $1.916bn (£1.168bn), based on Rentrak figures from Jan 4, 2013 to Jan 2, 2014.

2013 marked the fifth consecutive year that UK box office has crossed the $1.5bn barrier.

The final week of 2013 (w/c Dec 27) was the most bankable with $63.6m (£38.7m), while the lowest week of the year was the w/c Oct 11 with $19.1m (£11.6m). August was the busiest month at the box office with $212.5m (£129.4m) banked, while the quietest month was September with $100.6m (£61.2m).

As with the calendar year figures reported yesterday, Warner Bros was the UK’s leading distributor with a gross of $315.1m (£192.1m) from 24 releases and a market share of 16.45%, up on last year’s 12.47% market share.

Its lead performer was its final release of 2013, The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug, which stood at $55.9m (£34.1m) as of Jan 2.

Last year’s champion Sony fell to sixth overall, taking a total of $167.1m (£101.8m), down 51.5% on 2012, and a market share of 8.72%. Captain Phillips provided 15.6% of its 2013 gross with $26m (£15.9m).

eOne top indie

For the second year running, Entertainment One UK (eOne UK) ended the year as the UK’s leading independent distributor with an excellent $173.4m (£105.6m), up 30.8% on 2012, and a market share of 9.04%, putting it ahead of both Paramount and Sony in fifth spot overall.

Directly opposite to Warner Bros, eOne’s top performer was their first release of 2013, The Impossible, which provided 12.6% of eOne’s overall gross with $21.8m (£13.3m).

As reported in October, eOne UK also became only the second independent UK distributor to gross over £100m in a calendar year. Entertainment Film Distributors have done it twice, in 2002 and 2003.

Spearheaded by the terrific performance of The Hunger Games: Catching Fire which has taken $53.3m (£32.5m) as of Jan 2, Lionsgate took $90.7m (£55.3m) during 2013 (down 19.2% on 2012) and a market share of 5.8%.

StudioCanal enjoyed a successful 2013, posting the biggest yearly rise of the top ten UK distributors at 67.44%. Overall, StudioCanal grossed $54.5m (£33.2m) last year, almost a third of which came from Rush’s $16.6m (£10.1m), and enjoyed a 2.84% market share.

Falling 34.8% on 2012, Entertainment Film Distributors grossed $39.4m (£24m) from 15 releases in 2013 with a market share of 2.05%. Local musical Sunshine on Leith provided 19.1% of Entertainment’s overall gross with $7.5m (£4.6m).

Disney / Universal / Fox / Paramount

Climbing three places to second, Walt Disney enjoyed a fruitful 2013 with $293.3m (£178.6m), up 45% on 2012, and a market share of 15.29%. The year’s leading superhero outing, Iron Man 3, was Disney’s champion as it flew to $60.7m (£37m).

Despite providing the year’s biggest hits with Despicable Me 2 ($77.8m/£47.4m) and Les Misérables ($66.8m/£40.7m), Universal had to settle for third spot with an overall gross of $289.6m (£176.3m), up 36.6% on 2012, and a market share of 15.09%.

Falling two places to fourth and dropping 18.3% on 2012 in terms of overall gross, 20th Century Fox took $256.6m (£156.2m) and a market share of 13.38%, led by the $43.8m (£26.7m) haul of The Croods.

With just 16 releases through 2013, Paramount remained in seventh place overall with a gross of $138.6m (£84.3m), up 7.4% on 2012, and a market share of 7.22%. Sci-fi sequel Star Trek Into Darkness was their top performer with $42.4m (£25.8m).

Admissions

December figures are yet to be confirmed, but as of the end of November, UK admissions stood at 149,833,756 according to latest figures from DCM.

The year is all but guaranteed to be down on 2012’s 172.5m, despite Smaug and Frozen pulling in the crowds during the festive period. December is currently tracking to be 15m, which would put the year at around 165m, a drop of around 5%.

TOP TEN*

  1. Warner Bros $315.1m (£192.1m) 16.45%
  2. Walt Disney $293.3m (£178.6m) 15.29%
  3. Universal $289.6m (£176.3m) 15.09%
  4. 20th Century Fox $256.6m (£156.2m) 13.38%
  5. eOne UK $173.4m (£105.6m) 9.04%
  6. Sony $167.1m (£101.8m) 8.72%
  7. Paramount $138.6m (£84.3m) 7.22%
  8. Lionsgate $90.7m (£55.3m) 5.8%
  9. StudioCanal $54.5m (£33.2m) 2.84%
  10. Entertainment Film Distributors $39.4m (£24m)

*Rentrak figures from Jan 4,2013 – Jan 2, 2014

TOP TEN FILMS OF 2013*

  1. Despicable Me 2 $77.8m (£47.4m) Universal **
  2. Les Misérables $66.8m (£40.7m) Universal
  3. Iron Man 3 $60.7m (£37m) Disney
  4. The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug $55.9m (£34.1m) Warner Bros **
  5. The Hunger Games: Catching Fire $53.3m (£32.5m) Lionsgate **
  6. Monsters University $50.4m (£30.6m) Disney
  7. Man of Steel $49.2m (£29.95m) Warner Bros
  8. Frozen $45.8m (£27.9m) Disney **
  9. Gravity $45m (£27.4m) Warner Bros **
  10. The Croods $43.8m (£26.7m) Fox

* Rentrak figures from Jan 4, 2013 – Jan 2, 2014
** Still on release, gross as of Jan 2, 2014