IRISH BOX OFFICE admissions for 2019 could exceed 15 million for the second year in a row when figures for December 2019 are tallied, an industry source has claimed.

New figures from cinema advertising group Wide Eye Media also reveal that last year’s three biggest releases are also among the ten highest grossing films of all time in Ireland.

According to the group, annual box office revenue for 2019 is expected to total €117.4m – up by €100,000 on 2018.

The figure includes €6.5m in takings from Disney’s reboot of The Lion King, €6.4m from the same studio’s Avengers: Endgame, and €6.35 from Warner Brothers’ Joker, the highest grossing films in Ireland last year.

The takings put the three films fourth, fifth and sixth respectively in the highest grossing Irish releases of all time, between 2015′s Star Wars: The Force Awakens in third and 2008′s Mamma Mia! in seventh.

The rest of last year’s top ten includes Toy Story 4, Frozen II, Spider-Man: Far From Home, Downton Abbey, Captain Marvel, Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker and Aladdin.

The top grossing Irish film was the horror The Hole in the Ground.

Final admission figures for December 2019 have yet to be tallied, but are expected to be 15% higher than the same month in 2018 and one of the biggest Decembers on record.

The number of films released last year rose by 5% from 448 in 2018 to 472 in 2019.

Family films accounted for 34% of all box office takings last year, making it the most popular genre of 2019.

Action movies and dramas were tied in second place, with 22% of box office receipts each, while musicals took 18% of earnings and comedies generated 11%.