UK Film Distributors Association Launch Free, Interactive, Family Event SECRETS OF THE MOVIES This Summer

Secrets of the Movies, an interactive event for all the family, will be open to the public free of charge at The Strand Gallery in central London between 10 and 24 August.

Presented by Film Distributors' Association (FDA) on behalf of UK film distributors, Secrets of the Movies comprises:

Free family fun activities every day, including live stunt performances, a video booth, giant games and film quizzes, seminars on designing film posters, presentations on film animation, and much more. 'Creative stations' – tables of art materials – will also be freely available to use at any time;

A gallery exhibition of around 75 film poster artworks and behind-the-scenes photographs. As well as showcasing some classic films and contemporary works by international filmmakers, there will be a focus on the impressive line-up of British films to be released before the end of 2017. These include: Paul King's Paddington 2, Kenneth Branagh's Murder on the Orient Express, Simon Curtis' Goodbye Christopher Robin, Matthew Vaughn's Kingsman: The Golden Circle, James Marsh's The Mercy, Andy Serkis' Breathe and Paul McGuigan's Film Stars Don't Die in Liverpool;

A display of film and cinema artefacts, and a trail of informative panels revealing who does what on a film set, demystifying job titles such as 'gaffer', 'boom operator' and 'VFX technician';

A unique model cinema, custom-built for FDA from 25,000 LEGO® bricks. A diorama of a cinema foyer and auditorium with a diverse audience taking their seats, it took 150 man-hours to assemble
Visitors with smartphones will have instant access to a 'secret' cache of related movie content via QR codes applied to each exhibit.

A reception to launch the event will be hosted by TV presenter, Alex Zane, with 100 guests expected to attend, on Wednesday evening, 9 August.

FDA President, Lord (David) Puttnam of Queensgate CBE, said "The cinema brings out the inner hero in all of us, never more so than during the summer, when we can live vicariously through big-screen champions of every conceivable shape and size. Secrets of the Movies is a wonderfully vivid, new showcase of many of the creative skills required to make and release films to their audiences. It's a timely reminder that the cinema experience continues to offer a vast array of compelling and brilliant entertainment."

Mark Batey, FDA Chief Executive, said "A great poster catches the eye, tempts the mind and touches the heart. We truly hope that this summer's event delights and inspires visitors of all ages and in particular that younger guests enjoy participating in the various activities freely available in the gallery each day."

UK cinema mid-year update

Secrets of the Movies is launched as UK film distributors celebrate a strong first half of 2017. It is distributors who release films in cinemas and promote them to audiences, title by title.

In the first six months of the year:

425 new releases were launched into the dynamic cinema marketplace.

Box-office receipts (ticket sales) topped £650 million in new record time, well ahead of the £610 million taken at the mid-way point of 2016.

The single biggest week for cinemagoing in 2017 to date is w/c 10 February – half-term week in much of the UK – in which £45 million was spent on cinema tickets alone. The most popular titles on release at the time were The LEGO® Batman Movie, Fifty Shades Darker, Sing, T2: Trainspotting and La La Land.

The top film of 2017 to date is Beauty and the Beast, released in March. It generated £72 million in cinema ticket sales, making it the highest grossing musical in UK cinema history. Guardians of the Galaxy: Volume 2 and Fast & Furious 8 round out the top three to date – with a strong line-up yet to come.

UK cinema continues to punch above its weight. With 1% of the world's population, the UK accounts for 5% of world cinema box-office – and a fifth of the cinema box-office in Europe.

FDA launches new compilation trailer

To help maintain 2017 box-office momentum, FDA has produced a one-minute 'taster trailer' formed of clips from 52 films opening in UK cinemas this July and August.

Its aim is to convey the sheer range, sweeping spectacle and uniquely cinematic quality of the line-up. It will be playing at the summer event and is available now for use in all media.

About the FDA
FDA is the trade body championing the generic interests of UK film distributors. FDA's 32 member companies account for 99% of UK cinemagoing. In 2016, FDA members invested more than £350 million to bring 800 feature films to cinema audiences UK-wide. More information in the FDA Yearbook 2017, printed copies available free on request or to download from FDA's website.

Secrets of the Movies will be at The Strand Gallery, 32 John Adam Street, London WC2N 6BP, between 11am and 6pm on weekdays from Thursday 10 until Thursday 24 August 2017 inclusive. The gallery exhibition will highlight the star-studded range of films from around the world on release for UK audiences.

Secrets of the Movies is free to visit, although for some activities free tickets must be pre-booked via Eventbrite. The full schedule of activities day by day will be available online, including at launchingfilms.com.

A selection of exhibits can also be explored in an online gallery, including downloadable assets and competitions, at launchingfilms.com. In today's 'always on' digital media world full of visual stimuli, the online exhibition will invite visitors to reflect on the skills of graphic designers, typographers and photographers, who distil the essence of a film, its storyline, setting and characters, into a single, coherent, compelling image or montage.

FDA's new taster trailer comprises clips from the following 52 films from 15 UK distributors: All Eyez on Me, A Man Called Ove, American Made, Animal Crackers, Atomic Blonde, Baby Driver, The Beguiled, Belle de Jour (reissue), Berlin Syndrome, The Big Sick, Blade Runner 2049, The Book of Henry, Captain Underpants, Cars 3, The Dark Tower, David Lynch: The Art Life, Despicable Me 3, Detroit, Dunkirk, The Emoji Movie: Express Yourself, Everything Everything, Gifted, Girls' Trip, The Graduate (reissue), The Hitman's Bodyguard, The House, An Inconvenient Sequel: Truth to Power, Kingsman: The Golden Circle, The Last Word, Lawrence of Arabia (reissue), The LEGO® Ninjago Movie, The Limehouse Golem, My Cousin Rachel, Munna Michael, The Nut Job 2: Nutty by Nature, Patti Cake$, Prick Up Your Ears (reissue), Rough Night, The Seasons in Quincy, 6 Days, Sniff, Spider-Man: Homecoming, Stratton, Terminator 2: 3D, Tommy's War, Transformers: The Last Knight, Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets, Victim (reissue), Victoria and Abdul, The Wall, War for the Planet of the Apes and Wish Upon.

Top summer films of all time in UK cinemas

Chart ranks UK box-office ticket sales for all June/July/August releases on record courtesy of comScore/FDA.

Eight of the 12 films in the chart, marked * below, were produced wholly or partly in the UK.