UK cinemas see wet weather boom

IMAX and Odeon report jump in ticket sales during rainy summer, while outdoor festivals have largely been washouts
Ice Age 4: Continental Drift
Ice Age 4 has benefited from an increase in summer cinemagoers. Photograph: 20th Century Fox/Everett/Rex Featur

Indoor attractions are benefiting from the rain. The BFI's IMAX cinema, where people usually book in advance, has noticed a huge jump in passing trade. Odeon, which sells one in three of the UK's cinema tickets, says cinemas have been busier overall, and the opening weekend of Ice Age 4 smashed through expectations.

Advance bookings are also strong and the The Dark Knight Rises has taken more than £1m before opening, though whether that is down to in-your-face marketing or the expectation of more rain is hard to say.

Festivals, meanwhile, haven been blighted by the weather, with the Isle of Wight the most high-profile washout. On a smaller scale, Wayne and Gerardine Hemingway have merged their Vintage Festival with the Wilderness Festival in Oxfordshire, blaming poor ticket sales and the weather.

Some London-based festivals, such as Field Day in early June, benefited from a brief let-up in the rain. Tom Baker, from organisers Eat Your Own Ears, said: "It felt like people were holding back from buying tickets in advance but when the sun came out on the day, people felt positive and excited about being outside again, and we sold out."