Cineworld Group plc (LON:CINE) reports its first-half results on Thursday and investors will be hoping the hot weather and World Cup did not keep customers away.
Revenues rose 6.7% on a constant currency basis between 1 January 2018 to 13 May 2018, supported by the success of films "Black Panther" and "Avengers: Infinity War“.
Warm weather in June and the World Cup could have prompted customers to chose the pub over going to the cinema in the latter part of the first half.
However, the acquisition of US rival Regal Entertainment, which was completed in February, is likely to have boosted the numbers.
The release of summer blockbusters such as ‘Incredibles 2’ and ‘Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom’ in the intervening months could have also attracted more cinema-goers.
L&G to deliver strong underlying profit growth
Legal & General PLC (LON:LGEN) is expected to report growth in first-half underlying profit on the back of a strong performance in its investment management business.
UBS estimates underlying operating profit growth of 5% for the period with a 12% increase in the investment management arm, a 2% rise in annuities, a 21% gain in the insurance division and a 25% jump in the capital business.
However, UBS predicts the UK insurer and asset manager’s headline IFRS operating profit will fall 11% to £882mln given the absence of any mortality reserve releases this time around.
The Swiss bank sees L&G paying an interim dividend of 4.62p, which falls short of the 7% growth expected by the market.
Significant announces due:
Trading update: G4SPLC (LON:GFS)
Interims: Legal & General Group PLC (LON:LGEN), Coca-Cola HBC PLC (LON:CCH), Randgold Resources PLC (LON:RRS), Cineworld Group (LON:CINE), Derwent London PLC (LON:DLN), Savills PLC (LON@SVS), Ibstock Plc (LON:IBST), Tritax Big Box Retail PLC (LON:BBOX)
AGM: Premier African Minerals Ltd. (LON:PREM)
Ex-dividends: AstraZeneca PLC (LON:AZN), BT Group plc (LON::BT.A), Diageo plc (LON:DGE), GlaxoSmithKline plc (LON:GSK), Royal Dutch Shell PLC (LON:RDSA)
Economic data: US weekly jobless claims; US forward PPI; US wholesale inventories