Blockbuster year for Irish cinemas

Last year proved to be a blockbuster for Irish cinemas as people flocked to the big screen to escape recessionary blues. The numbers opting to visit the movies soared during 2009, as the Irish box office raked in E124.7m -- up 11pc on the previous year. The top performer at the Irish box office was stag-night comedy 'The Hangover', which grossed E4.7m. It was closely followed by 'Avatar', the 3D sci-fi extravaganza from James Cameron, which proved a hit as it pulled in E4.3m in the final two weeks of the year.