Gibbie

Article about BFI ticket study results.

'Gone With the Wind' Popular in Britain

Mon Nov 29, 2:00 PM ET Movies - AP

By The Associated Press

LONDON - "Gone With the Wind," the American Civil War saga starring Clark Gable and Vivien Leigh, is the most-watched movie in British history, according to the British Film Institute.

Some 35 million people have seen "Gone With the Wind" since its release in Britain in 1940, according to a tally of movie ticket sales, the institute said Sunday.

"The Sound of Music" is in the No. 2 spot with an estimated 30 million tickets sold since its release in 1965, followed by "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs," released in 1938 and seen by 28 million people, and George Lucas' "Star Wars," released in Britain in 1978, with 20.7 million tickets sold.

One-third of the films in the top 100 are British, led by the 1948 romantic comedy "Spring in Park Lane," which is in fifth place with 20.5 million tickets sold.

The institute compared ticket sales for films since the introduction of talking pictures in 1927 for "The Ultimate Film" TV show. For movies released before the 1970s, when official records weren't always available, researchers used anecdotal evidence and figures from trade publications.

"It might come as a surprise that this is the first time that we have had a list based on the films that people have most wanted to see, and some of the results might come as yet more of a surprise, especially some of those which date from a time when the cinema was even more important to lived experience in the country than it is today," said Ray Templeton, head of the BFI National Library, in a statement.

Rounding out the top 10 films: "The Best Years of Our Lives," released in 1947, 20.4 million; "The Jungle Book," 1968, 19.8 million; "Titanic," 1998, 18.9 million; "The Wicked Lady," 1946, 18.4 million; and "The Seventh Veil," 1945, 17.9 million.

DB7

A few factors are post-war Britain, family films being re-run more frequently snd competition from television and later VCR's.

The most amusing part for me was the faint praise for the LOTR series - in fact the only positive voices were from those involved with the trilogy.

Steve Crook

So for more than half of the years covered they just guessed the attendance? Admittedly it was an educated guess but given the small difference in attendance figures given for many of them it does throw some doubt on the rankings.

And no, I'm not upset that only one P&P title made the top 100. I always knew they didn't have the mass appeal to equal many of those in the top 100. Although I did expect The Red Shoes to be up there iven the number of times that's been re-shown over the years.

Steve

Steve Crook

PaPAS

Gibbie

[quote]SteveCrook:
Sometimes being in the elite is a lonely business.