Lego movie falls flat for Merlin Entertainment

Merlin Entertainment said trade had been affected by “limited momentum” from The Lego Movie 2 as well as poor weather earlier this year.

The company said like-for-like sales for the first half of the year fell by 0.7% at Legoland.

But new Peppa Pig attractions abroad helped lift overall sales.

Merlin operates 127 attractions, 19 hotels and seven holiday villages in 27 countries.

The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part was released in February and has so far taken $191.3m at the box office.

However, Merlin Entertainment said that during the six months to 29 June, there has “been limited trading momentum as a result of the film itself”.

By comparison, the first Lego film took $469.1m and significantly boosted at sales at Merlin in 2014.

The firm, which also owns Alton Towers and Madame Tussauds, said sales for businesses open at least a year rose by 2.3% on improving tourist numbers in its key London market.

Total visitor numbers rose by 3% to 30.8 million.

Overall, pre-tax profits at Merlin Entertainment fell to £34m from £43m on sales 8.1% higher at £763m.

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