Cineworld is looking forward to a strong second half of the year, with upcoming releases such as Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps and Little Fockers.

The company, which runs 77 cinemas across the UK and Ireland, said a string of blockbusters and 3D films including Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part I and The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader would boost its fourth-quarter results. With 3D films, cinemas can charge a premium on tickets compared with standard 2D screenings. Cineworld expects to show 18 3D films in the second half of the year, following seven screened in the first six months.

"The strong film line-up in the second half, coupled with our solid first-half performance, underpins our confidence in performing in line with market expectations for the year," said chief executive Stephen Wiener.

Cineworld raised its half-year dividend to 3.4p a share from 3.2p a year ago.

The group posted a profit before tax of £11.8m for the six months to 1 July, compared with £11.6m in the same period a year ago. The first half saw a strong start thanks to Avatar, which has grossed £90m in the UK since its release in late December, followed by Alice in Wonderland, another 3D success, which grossed more than £40m. But June was quiet because of the World Cup and overall admissions were down 3% in the first half.

Cineworld made headlines earlier this year when it broke ranks with the UK's other major exhibitors to screen Alice in Wonderland, after a dispute with Disney over the length of the gap between cinema and DVD releases.

Box office receipts at Cineworld climbed 4.1% to £111.7m as the average ticket price rose to £4.93 a ticket, from £4.59. However, the average amount spent by cinemagoers on extras such as drinks, ice cream and popcorn was stuck at £1.71 per person.

The company is rolling out digital screens across its entire estate. It now operates the cinema at the O2 centre in London and hopes to be part of the Wembley development scheduled to open in 2013.