Are you not entertained?
If Russell Crowe’s legendary gladiatorial hero Maximus Decimus Meridius were to posit this question to UK consumers in November 2024, the answer would be a resounding yes.
According to Barclays PLC (LSE:BARC)’s latest Consumer Spend Report, entertainment, hospitality and leisure spending took off in November.
Cinema spending alone saw a dramatic 22.8% yearly increase thanks to blockbusters Gladiator II and Paddington in Peru (or 'Gladdington', since portmanteaus are all the rage).
Pugilistic Kiwi Crowe can get some of the credit here, at least adjacently.
Although he was not involved in Gladiator II, Crowe’s turn as the bereft Meridius in the original Ridley Scott-directed 2000 epic undoubtedly gave the franchise the ticket-selling power it still has today.
Entertainment spending rose 10.8% across the board, while digital subscriptions and content spending rose by 8.3% during the same period, reflecting the public's preference for indoor entertainment amid colder weather.
The broader hospitality and leisure sector recorded a 4.7% increase, with bars, pubs, and clubs reporting their strongest month since the summer, fueled by early festive season gatherings.
Spending in the travel sector saw a 6% year-on-year increase.
Conversely, Barclays highlighted a 2% decline in retail spending, marking the lowest year-on-year growth since June.
This dip was attributed to a cold snap that reduced high-street footfall, with spending at general retailers falling by 1.7%.
Clothing sales saw a contraction of 5.6%, the steepest decline in five months.
So yes, Brits were entertained in November, they just weren’t particularly decked out.