A Norfolk cinema claims to have broken a UK record by screening Despicable Me 2 for 46 weeks.

The animated comedy, whose Minion characters are set to get a spin-off film of their own, completed the extended run at Hollywood Cinema in Anglia Square, Norwich.

Trevor Wicks, director of the cinema, said bosses at Universal told him the 46-week run was the longest run of any film in the UK and sent him some presents to mark the achievement.

He added they did not have the data to confirm if it was the longest run in the world.

'The most exciting thing about the cinema industry and also the most depressing thing is we don't know what the magic formula is,' explained Mr Wicks. 'Until the film opens, unless it's a franchise and there's a big fan base, it's hard to tell what will happen.

'Why this one has worked - it's got the magic formula of what the public want and they come back in spades to see it.'

He said the release of the film on DVD around Christmas only encouraged more people to watch it at the cinema.

The run finally concluded at the end of April, as Mr Wicks said there was a backlog of other children's films to show and the cinema has just four screens.

He added it was rare for films to run for so long in the age of multiplex cinemas, where there are many screenings per day.

'They usually get burnt out within a month, but with this particular film the longevity was amzing,' he said. 'We kept looking for a tail-off but people were coming over and over again to see the film.'

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