Cineworld to fly still higher in 2017 as tinseltown gears up for blockbuster filed year

The force was with Rogue One and Fantastic Beasts cast a spell on audiences up and down Britain. While many rated 2016 as a rotten year, it was a record one for Cineworld.

The chain saw more than 100m people passing through its doors, with the group posting an 8.3 per cent rise in sales at constant currency.

It can’t be easy running a business when you don’t have any control over your main product beyond doing your best to make the experience of watching it a pleasant one. Fortunately for Cineworld, Hollywood has been in rare form.

Marvel seems incapable of producing a bad movie, and while DC seems to find it just as hard to produce a good one (although Suicide Squad was better than the critics said it was), its offerings have still proved capable of packing in punters. Animated offerings are regularly pleasing parents as well as kids, and there's been room for movies catering for those wanting a bit more depth too.

This looks sets to continue through the New Year, with a string of tinseltown blockbusters jockeying for position. Fans of caped crusaders have Guardians of the Galaxy’s second run out, Justice League, Wonderwoman, Logan (Wolverine) and Thor to look forward to among others.

For the kids, Lego will give us its take on Batman, Emma Watson is set to show she can sing a bit with Beauty and the Beast, the Despicable Me and Cars franchises return and Paddington will give parents a second nostalgic romp. The domestic crop is headed by Transporting Two. Oh, and there’s another Star Wars movie to come. It has a lot to live up to given the quality of its predecessor and this last year’s standalone prequel to episode IV. But it's all but guaranteed to pack them in regardless of whether it’s any good. Episode I certainly proved that. Remember Jar Jar Binks?

Critics will complain at the preponderance of effects laden event movies, majoring on escapism. But there are good reasons for escapism's selling power. Just look at the state of the world. And the multiscreen multiplex cinema means there's still room for Manchester by the Sea. Cineworld is planning to open six new outlets in the UK and more overseas, and that will provide the growth to keep its shareholders happy.

So should the margins. People who turn out to see the films I’ve listed will buy soft drinks and popcorn priced as if they’re champagne and caviar (well almost). This is a business that should manage even if Brexit burns the rest of the economy. Who knows, perhaps it will even listen to campaigners who want it to put equipment in the toilets so more seriously disabled people can join the party?

In the meantime, pass the overpriced popcorn. Now, in this scene Cineworld’s shares will prove that you don’t need superman to fly. Lights, camera, action.