UK leads European box office growth in January with animation sequel 'Sing 2'

Cinemas in Europe brought in $105.5 million in revenue in January, a 38.3% increase over the same period in 2021, driven by the strong debut of computer-animated musical comedy "Sing 2."

The region released a total of 157 films in the first month of 2022, marking a 166.1% year-over-year rise, according to figures from OpusData and compiled by S&P Global Market Intelligence.

The U.K., in particular, recorded $34.3 million in box office revenue, led by "Sing 2." The title, which grossed $9.2 million and is distributed by Universal Pictures, was also the highest earner in Germany, garnering revenue of $5 million.

Russia generated the second biggest total in revenue in January with $16.9 million. The country's revenue, however, marked a 77% year-over-year drop, making it the only monitored market with a recorded year-over-year fall.

In Spain, film revenue amounted to $4.5 million, a 49.2% uptick from the same period in the previous year. Paramount Pictures Corp.-distributed "Scream," the 2022 installment of the horror franchise, was the top-earning title in the country with $1.4 million.

The rest of the monitored markets did not have recorded revenue movements from the year prior as they did not have film releases in January 2021.