Harry Potter: The Prisoner of Azkaban and Troy were the British films most likely to be seen by UK cinema-goers in the first half of 2004, July was the most popular cinema-going month, and by the end of August more than 117 million visits had been made to the cinema, up 10% on the same period in 2003, according to the latest figures released by the UK Film Council.

"Cinema-going remains one of the most popular forms of entertainment in this country. The summer months in particular proved to be a sizzler at the box office with more than 117 million cinema visits by the end of August.

"British films have put in a strong performance at the UK box office so far this year with two UK films - Harry Potter: The Prisoner of Azkaban and Troy in the top five of the biggest earners at the box office.

"The challenge now is to ensure that people across the UK have access to a wide range of films, and that more British films are seen by audiences at home and abroad.

"While it's encouraging to see an increase in the number of recent British films shown on television, it's a small improvement on a low base. The proportion of recent British films on television overall remains low. Decisive action is needed by broadcasters in the investment in and depiction of British films. Such an improvement would benefit both our culture and our economy."

Best performing films in the UK (January - October 2004): - The best performing film so far this year was Shrek 2 with GBP48.05 million taken at the UK box office. It was closely followed by British hit Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban with GBP45.93 million. Of the top five most popular films this year, two were UK films, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban and Troy.