Amid double-digit declineacross most key international markets, Singapore witnessed a marginal rise in 2005 box office takingsby 0.88% to $74.7m (S$121.4m) despite a drop of 6.9% in cinema admissions to14.8 million.

Prior to 2005, thecity-state had been enjoying an average of 7.7% per annum growth in box officetakings and a 4.3% per annum increase in admissions over four years. But theyear-on-year rise in revenues for the past 12 months can be partly explained bythe increase in ticket prices since last May, which brought prices by up to S$1per ticket.

Taking the top spot at thebox office was Harry Potter And TheGoblet Of Fire with $3.55m (S$5.8m), the only S$5m movie in 2005. It hasalso become the fourth highest grossing film of all time in Singapore, edging out the $3.26m (S$5.3m) record set by Spider-Man in 2002.

Although a record five localfilms were released in 2005, none of them made it to the top 10. In 2004,homegrown director Jack Neo's The BestBet was in the top ten, as was his Homerunin 2003.

The top non-Hollywood titlewas Hong Kong's car racing drama Initial D, which ranked twelfth with $1.5m. Also in the top 20 weretwo local titles - Kelvin Tong's The Maid($1.3m) and Neo's I Do, I Do ($1.1m)- and two Hong Kong films - TheMyth starring Jackie Chan ($1.3m) and horror The Eye 10 ($0.79m).

Singapore: Top 10films in 2005

1. HarryPotter And The Goblet Of Fire (WB) $3.55m (S$5.8m)*
2. King Kong(UIP) $3m (S$4.8m)*
3. Star Wars Episode 3: Revenge Of The Sith (Fox) $2.5m (S$4.1m)
4. Narnia: Lion, Witch & Wardrobe (BVCTS) $2.5m (S$4.1m)*
5. Madagascar (UIP) $2.2m (S$3.6m)
6. War Of The Worlds (UIP) $1.97m (S$3.2m)
7. Fantastic Four (Fox) $1.8m (S$2.97m)
8. Batman Begins (WB) $1.8m (S$2.8m)
9. Constantine (Golden Village) $1.7m (S$2.8m)
10. Mr & Mrs Smith (Fox) $1.6m (S$2.6m)

* Still playing