From cultural moments to highly-anticipated sequels, and matching merchandise to enhance the experience – there were lots of reasons film fans filled the cinemas in 2025. Here’s just a few of them.
Watching Bridget with the girls on Valentine’s Day
Bridget fans couldn’t wait to see the third chapter of her life unfold, and cinemas were packed with joyful groups of girlfriends watching Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy upon its Valentine’s Day release. And they probably appreciated all the moral support on hand during this especially poignant instalment in the story, which sees our beloved Bridget dealing with a tragic turn of events. We’ve lived with this endearing and plucky character since the first film came out in 2001 (was it really that long ago?), and fans relate deeply to the ups and downs she goes through. There’s nothing quite like crying in a cinema when everyone else is too.
Wicked: For Good
If you saw the sequel in this smash hit series then you were probably a) amazed by all the incredible costumes fans dressed up in to watch the film, or b) one of those fans. It’s no surprise that these magical movies would inspire such creative homages, considering the award-winning costume design that really brings the characters and stories to life. The Glinda and Elphaba cosplay we saw off-screen at Cineworld was off the charts, too. Well done everyone, no notes.
No one can deny it was a film for the fans, especially with the inclusion of school girl, Maidah's drawing for the BBFC card featured ahead of Wicked: For Good. Iconic.
At Cineworld Speke, we were visited by an artist in the making! ✨
— Cineworld (@cineworld) December 11, 2025
Maidah, the vision behind the @BBFC #WickedForGood card, recently visited us with her school @NorthLivAcademy, to celebrate her art being up on the big screen, with a screening of the film! 🩷 pic.twitter.com/nNKuoWbG7Y
The Minecraft sing-alongs
We wouldn’t usually endorse cinema code-breaking like spontaneously singing along at screenings. However, when the songs are this catchy and Jack Black’s energy this infectious, it’s actually impossible not to? Then "Steve's Lava Chicken" went viral and became the shortest song to reach the Top 40 of the UK singles chart, prompting the release of A Minecraft Movie: The Block Party edition, complete with lyrics on the screen so everyone could join in. At Cineworld’s own Chicken Jockey screenings, fans were encouraged to come in cosplay and react to the action on screen. And boy, did they follow the brief.
Throwing popcorn ❌
— Cineworld (@cineworld) April 10, 2025
Shouting Chicken Jockey ✔
Who's joining us for CHICKEN JOCKEY! 4DX screenings this Sunday? 💺
🔗 https://t.co/1rZMtpe7gq#ChickenJockey4DX pic.twitter.com/EUudXET5jT
Louis Tomlinson on Diary of a CEO
In a first for the podcast and Cineworld, this episode of Diary of a CEO got its world premier at Cineworld in the UK, back in October. Instead of merely listening on the daily commute, or watching on their phone screens, fellow Directioners got to gather in the cinema to watch this much-anticipated interview on the big screen, and before anyone else.
Louis Tomlinson sitting down with Steven Barlett was a huge deal for fans, as the podcast format often results in a more intimate interview, and the Diary of a CEO is known for its candid conversations that don’t shy away from sensitive topics.
Taylor Swift: The Official Release Party of a Showgirl
As one of the world’s most dedicated fanbases, you can always count on Swifties to go hard or go home. So, of course, they jumped at the opportunity to dress up in their most sparkly ‘fits and gather together to celebrate the release of Taylor’s twelfth album, The Life of a Showgirl.
Considering it came out on the same day as the film, a surprising number of fans already knew most of the words after undoubtedly listening to it on repeat, and were ready to sing and dance along with Tay. Not a ‘boring Barbie’ in sight.
The fabulous movie merch
Obviously it’s being immersed in amazing stories large on the big screen that brought all the kids to our yard in 2025, but it was also the super cool merch, which has really upped its game lately. Wicked: For Good fans were keen to get their green mitts on things like cups complete with witches’ hats, which flew off the shelves. Cinemagoers are now snapping up the incredible Banshee buckets for Avatar: Fire and Ash, and people went wild for the fun and collectable animal toppers and funky popcorn buckets that accompanied the release of Zootropolis 2.
go WILD for our #Zootropolis merch! 🥕
— Cineworld (@cineworld) December 13, 2025
popcorn buckets and cup & toppers available in cinema or online now!
📸 Cineworld Wolverhampton pic.twitter.com/j1UqAa19gW
We can’t wait to see what will draw people to the big screen to experience the magic of cinema together in 2026.
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