Barbie v Oppenheimer lures Britons back to struggling cinemas

Films' success pushes admissions to over 17.6m in July and combined takings have passed 130m mark

It was billed as the definitive box office showdown, but the summer phenomenon that was Barbie v Oppenheimer ultimately proved to be the catalyst to get the UK's struggling cinema sector back on track.

The extraordinary success of both films, released on the same day, pushed admissions in July to more than 17.6m - the biggest month for UK cinemagoing since December 2019. And the popularity of Barbenheimer" has continued into this month, with experts predicting 13.5m admissions for August.