Blockbusters such as Hulk failed to pull in crowds last year

Admissions in 2003 fell to 167.3 million - 5% down on 2002's record 176 million total, the Film Council said.

The figure is still the second highest for 30 years, with box office takings in the UK and Ireland at �809m.

The poor performance of 2003 blockbusters such as Hulk and Matrix Revolutions may help to explain the drop, according to some observers.

Recent years have seen a renaissance for the cinema industry - boosted by the success of huge hits such as The Lord of The Rings and the Harry Potter films.

Calendar Girls was a hit at the UK box office

As a result of last year's drop, box office takings were down �2.7m on 2002. But the Film Council remained upbeat about audiences.

A spokesman said: "It's too soon to say whether it's the start of a downward trend or simply a blip. The fact is, 2003 was the second best year in 30 years at the UK box office."

He added: "It could well reflect the fact that some big blockbusters didn't perform as well in the UK or abroad as might have been expected."

The figures show that three of last year's 10 biggest grossing films had UK involvement - Love Actually, Calendar Girls and Johnny English.

Fighting back

The top 10 was dominated by The Return of the King - which has taken �54m at the UK box office.

Finding Nemo took �37m, followed by romantic comedy Love Actually on �35m.

Calendar Girls took �20m and Johnny English made �19m.

The cinema industry has been fighting back since its lowest point in the 1980s when admissions sank to 54 million in 1984 at the height of the home video boom.

The revival began with the development of out-of-town multiplexes and revamped city centre cinemas.

Last year a record �729m was invested in UK film production.