this is worklife, from bbc news, with sally bundock and karin giannone. as the latest star wars film bursts onto cinema screens from today, we ask, what is the future of cinemas in this age of online streaming? live from london, that's our top story, on wednesday the 18th of december. movie theatres strike back against the rise of streaming, with uk cinemas hoping to set a record for 2019 ticket sales. also in the programme... a meeting of minds

in the car industry. peugeot group and fiat chrysler agree a $50 billion merger, creating the world's fourth largest auto group. and... making the most of what you have. we'll be hearing from one pianist who managed to hit the right note, despite a tough start. it isa it is a really inspirational story. flying further — we'll be hearing from one woman who's invented a hydrogen—powered drone. and is the christmas office party going to become the ghost of christmas past, as companies scale back on festive celebrations? tell us your view — do you love, or loathe, the office party? let us know. just use the hashtag bbcworklife. welcome to a very packed erg.

—— welcome to a very packed worklife. lightsabers at the ready! star wars: the rise of skywalker is out in cinemas in the uk later today, with the european premiere held here in london. experts are talking about a cinema revival, while the uk industry is banking on the final star wars instalment setting a record for ticket sales in 2019. there's been much talk of streaming services, like netflix, with its 160 million army of global subscribers, killing off the traditional big screen. streaming on our devices at home is on the rise. global home entertainment spending jumped by 16% in 2018 to $55.7 billion. but cinemas have spruced up, offering high—tech, immersive and niche experiences, and upgrading booking systems to entice us out of our homes. last year was a blockbuster — in the uk alone, admissions hit 177 million, even without luke skywalker and chewbacca in the frame.

will 2019 be peak cinema? a record nine films are tipped to have made more $1 billion at the global box office by year end, with frozen 2 on track, and the latest star wars set to follow suit. the biggest of those by far is from the marvel franchise — avengers: endgame the top grossing film of all time, raking in $2.8 billion. well, georg szalai is international business editor with the hollywood reporter and joins me now. welcome. how good a year has it been for the film industry? a very strong yearin for the film industry? a very strong year in the uk. in hollywood, there is more worry and the film here will be down compared to last year. but overall, stable enough that there is not too big a headache. going into next year, people starting to wonder, especially with netflix doing more and more originalfilms themselves. what is it behind it being a good year, the strengths of the films? yes, hollywood is always hits and misses as this and there

are returning franchises and films like aladdin and toy story and the marvel franchise has been going dambusters for years so that has been a driving thing. the big hits brings people into seats. netflix has been around for a while, we have disney plus and apple tv, there is a lot going on in the streaming market, but how big a threat is streaming to the cinema? a lot of people in the us are looking for next year to give us more of an indication of how things are going. netflix has been moving out a lot of movies. the irishman. marriage story. a lot of oscar films. people wa nt to story. a lot of oscar films. people want to stay home instead of going to movies instead if there is no urgency. but the big players in cinema have really had to adapt to compete. yes, you have seen reclining seats and new options for food and drink, gaming experiences, anything to make it easierfor people to book tickets and make them have a joyful experience. before when vhs came out and dvd, there was

always... you are showing your age! personal experience! people were worried it would be the end of cinema and it wasn't, is this a similarthing. cinema and it wasn't, is this a similar thing. hollywood has a was adapted over the thing, but the most important thing is how compelling is the stuff on the screens? as long as people care about the characters and wa nt to people care about the characters and want to go back to see more and spend more time with them, people still will be willing to go out and leave the couch and the sofa for a little bit. star wars, are you going? i suppose you have to come it is yourjob. my colleague is seeing it now and i will let him go first. then i will try to catch it sometime in the coming days. georg, thank you very much for coming in. so much choice at the moment! now, let's get more on a big merger in the auto industry that has just been announced. french carmaker psa, the owner of peugeot, and fiat chrysler have approved a binding agreement to merge their activities. the new entity will be

worth some $50 billion. the company will become the world's fourth largest car maker, after toyota, volkswagen and the renault—nissan alliance. shareholders in the two groups will split the ownership of the new company on a 50/50 basis. it will have 400,000 employees, and no factory closures are expected as a result of the merger, it says, which still needs regulatory approval. ian plummer, commercial director at autotrader, joins me now. what you make of this news? for the brand is concerned and the groups concerned, it is great news. there isa concerned, it is great news. there is a race full scale in the automotive industry and byjoining their forces and putting their r&d together, these groups are going to be in together, these groups are going to beina together, these groups are going to be in a good position to be part of the leading pack in that race. do you think this is a good tie—up, looking at the two companies coming together? fiat chrysler earlier this year tried to get together with renault and nissan and that fell apart. there is a lot of sensible logic in this deal. there is a big

cost saving announced, 3.7 billion for a start, this race full—scale i am talking about. they will pool their r&d towards electric vehicles, that everybody needs to bring to market. there are geographical synergies and an opportunity for psa to get further into the american market now thanks to the fca brand. there are brand synergies because they have premium brands with alfa romeo and maserati. so it makes a lot of sense. what about the issue of government involvement? with peugeot and fiat chrysler, you have the french and italian governments who have been seen to be a little bit on the meddling side in the past, a bit problematic, your thoughts on that? clearly, the french and italian governments to see these two particular groups as national champions, so they defend them and they will be defending a think the rights of their workers in those different respective home markets very certainly. the french government did get involved in the proposed renault— nissan merge it with fca and i think were very

significantly behind the failure of that bid. hopefully, they will step back from lead, but i think you will see pressure maintaining jobs to those markets. thank you much. ian plummer. let's take a look at some of the other stories making the news. a nearly $731 million tax break helped the oil giant shell avoid a corporate income tax bill in the uk last year, according to the financial times. it says such writeoffs could continue for years. the tax break is used to offset the costs of dismantling oil and gas rigs in the north sea. shell says it complies with tax laws "in all the countries and locations in which we have a taxable presence. " the british pound has now shed all the gains it made during the conservative party's big election win. the threat of a hard exit from the eu sent shivers through sterling, which slid 1.5% in its largest one—day fall this year on tuesday. it was down another 0.2%

this morning, at $1.31. britain s exports of financial services rose to $106 billion last year, with the european union still the biggest customer, in spite of the uncertainty over brexit. the latest figures, compiled by thecityuk, shows continued resilience in britain s biggest economic sector. in asia, it was a mixed picture today, investors have hit the pause button. markets globally hovering around record highs. for investors, no reason to buy. there might be a reason to take profits, but it is a mixed picture with no big stories moving markets in asia. in europe, the big story is the one we have talked about. peugeot psa group teaming up with fiat chrysler. you can see the markets in europe are trading at these levels at the moment. i had a look at psa group shares, about ten minutes ago, they are up 2.6%. fiat chrysler shares

not up as much, by a quarter of a percent, but that is the market reaction to that big merge news in the car industry. sally, thank you very much. now to the us, where samira hussain has an important question for you! what did you have for breakfast this morning? well, if you said cereal, then you certainly aren't alone. here in the us, americans consume more than $8 billion worth of cereal every year. but investors in general mills, the company that makes cheerios and chex, will be more focused on what's in your pet's food bowl than yours when the company releases its earnings later today. now, that's because last year, general mills bought blue buffalo pet products, as a way to diversify the products it sells. both people and their pets have been moving to healthier natural food products, and general mills is banking on the love of our four—legged friends to help lift its margins. samira. time now for our daily look at some

of the newspaper and website stories which have caught our eye. joining me is social media consultantjemima gibbons. welcome to you, and a social media theme, facebook creaming up, the four most popular apps of the decade. yes, it is a bit of a worry really. facebook have got facebook which is an app and facebook messenger and whatsapp and instagram, the top four apps and facebook own all of them. the top four are two facebook own all of them. the top fourare two in facebook own all of them. the top four are two in terms of how we measure this, it is tied into downloads. they have all four top slots. and this is over ten years. so basically, facebook has dominated our world for ten years. completely, yes, it is amazing, it hasn't even been around two decades and is already completely dominate. it is under investigation at the moment from the federal trade commission and they are looking into its anti—trust behaviour. so there may bea anti—trust behaviour. so there may be a situation where it has to break

up, which probably would be a good thing. definitely would be a good thing. definitely would be a good thing. but we will have to see what happens. you say they are under investigation for anti—trust behaviour, what about what they do with our data and privacy? and cambridge analytica and the many stories that come to the fore. yes, absolutely. we will see what happens. twitter and youtube, according to this article, they say they are surprised it didn't rank higher than skype, in sixth place. yes. that is right. itjust shows the dominance of facebook. they can promote other products within facebook. they can promote facebook messenger and instagram, so they have this symbiotic relationship and it is very hard to break into that top four i think at the moment. jemima, you are a social media consultant, do you get to go to an office christmas party or not? well, i had office christmas party or not? well, ihada office christmas party or not? well, i had a lunch with a former client last week and that was kind of our christmas party. 0k, fair enough. that is what it is like really. do you miss them, did you ever go? yes,

lots of office parties. i think they do have to be looked at and may be people, the idea of everyone getting very drunk and falling over each other is maybe not what we want in the next decade. this is a bbc article talking about one company that has decided to do things differently and held a two day conference in november for staff. they believe the stereotypical christmas party that involves sandra getting off with somebody behind the photocopier no longer built —— no longer appeals to staff. well, it might! and in an age of #me too, this is a concern. the company boss craig unsworth he we have interviewed says, many people just do not celebrate christmas for various reasons. cultural or religious. they don't enjoy the christmas party. there is a two day conference where you do nice things like cookery courses,

it's not all work, work, work. and he has tax benefits as well. yes, hmrc. is it a win when? yes, also, people don't all drink any more and they are trying to drink less. it is an interesting area, but many conference doesn't sound very exciting. away days, however you package it. fun away days. jemima, for coming in, it is good to see you. —— thanks for coming in. still to come... flying further — we'll be hearing from one woman who's invented a hydrogen—powered drone. you're with worklife, from bbc news. now, while we are talking parties, let's talk about what we are expected to spend on a night out this year. britons are expected to spend more on nights out this year, than last year — as consumer spend increases from £67.05 a night last year to £69.64.

that is apparently the average spend ona that is apparently the average spend on a night out. but we're also going out more. that's according to the deltic group, the uk s largest operator of late night bars and clubs. joining us now is its chief executive, peter marks. tell us about how the night—time economy is growing. it is amazing, most people think a lot of our economy going to be a tough time but going out is here to stay. i am pleased to say it. a roundabout 42% of people are going out more at christmas than at any other time of year and we have got a statistic on it for the first time. and they are going out because they love the big occasion. and the young people aged between 18 and 21, 50% go out more often and they spend 58% more money. and they love the enjoyment. that is the big thing. going out and having a crowd and environment is what they are about. how crucial is the christmas season to your business, the so—called night—time economy? well, the night—time economy which

usually relied on christmas parties, office parties, no question. for nightclubs, but i represent, it is less important than some of the other friends we have less important than some of the otherfriends we have in less important than some of the other friends we have in our sector because we lose students, but we gain christmas parties. but, yes, it is important and the good thing is, it is healthy and in growth despite the doom and gloom in the newspapers and consumer confidence. what they spend their money on, is that healthy? they are not spending their money with us on drinks, this is across the entire night, going out, taxes, pre—drinking and getting food and may be going to the cinema. but of course, people make their own choice as to what they do and that is right. we shouldn't force people to adhere to shall we say other people's views. but going out and enjoying themselves and letting their hair down is good. apart from anything else, for mental health, people need to escape the normal life. that is why they are going out. all right, thank you very much, peter, chief executive of the deltic

group, we appreciate your time. do you need to escape for mental health purposes? take a look at bbc online. we have all sorts of stories. the detail on the fiat chrysler and psa merger. and also, the story about the office party and how much you spend on a night out. you're watching worklife. there was a time when the thought of unmanned craft darting around our skies was the stuff of science—fiction, but now drones are pretty commonplace — used for everything from photography to bulding inspection. in fact, a study by pwc estimates that the market for business services using drones is potentially worth $127 billion, and that doesn't count the drones that will doubtless be given as presents this festive season! but energy efficiency — and the impact on the envirnment — are big questions for the market, especially as more firms move towards delivering packages by drone.

our next guest thinks she's made a big step forward by developing the technology to power drones by hydrogen, rather than conventional batteries. dr enass abo—hamed is the founder and boss of h2g0 power, and joins us now. welcome. thank you for having me. tell us about your drone, how does it work? h2g0 power, the company and the team behind this breakthrough, is an energy storage company and the product is an energy storage product. so instead of relying on typical batteries, a chemistry that we know, it works, but it doesn't ta ke we know, it works, but it doesn't take the drone long enough in the sky. so we challenged that by looking at developing a new technology and hydrogen fuel sales that allows the drone to fly for long enough to meet its delivery targets. and this is a nikko solution in terms of energy saving, in terms of environmental

sustainability and you are funded to a great degree by the government and the european union. when i say the government, i'm in the uk government. it is research and development right now. yes, we haven't sold any power system chat. hopefully, we are on track to get that in the next few months. —— any power systems can make yet. all the work we have done is research and development. the system on the screen, they are 3d printer systems, they are light. and the advantage in them is that they contain hydrogen that allows the drone to fly for longer and come at the same time, it is safe. so the breakthrough is really in the safety of the solution. i was going to ask you about the safety concerns we have heard about hydrogen in the past, how do you get around that? simply by avoiding compressing gas. where all the safety concerns are because, by converting the gas into a solid state, where it is safely stored inside the system that you see. 0nly

until the demand is there. then we release it safely. you came to the uk to study at cambridge university to do uk to study at cambridge university todoa uk to study at cambridge university to do a phd in chemistry. today is the un's international migrants day. we wa nted the un's international migrants day. we wanted to get your take on your journey. explain where you came from and what it was like, the transition for you. so, i came to this country in 2010, just under ten years ago. and i had the typical challenges of the student back in the days. so far, it has been a greatjourney, in terms of the educationaljourney far, it has been a greatjourney, in terms of the educational journey and then starting in business. it has been a positive journey, then starting in business. it has been a positivejourney, with many challenges, but these are typical to the path i have chosen. so the uk, ten yea rs the path i have chosen. so the uk, ten years ago, was welcoming. i got a scholarship to study for my phd. my a scholarship to study for my phd. my lap was a very international lab.

and the environment in the laboratory was very good and very productive. and the drive you have to develop this technology, where does this come from, what inspires you? so in the first place, and a personal level, what inspires me is solving problems. and the real problem we are trying to contribute to solving is climate change. and the team and i were working on the drone product as one of the products we are developing, but there is another product which is large—scale energy storage, that stores renewable energy. with hydrogen? with hydrogen. when you are at university, he said the laboratory you were in was 70% non—british and the other 30% was british students, when she got beyond that, you started your business you are in a very male dominated, white male dominated environment, how did you find that trying to get people on board to fund your idea? thank you

very much for asking this question because i really like to answer this question. my experience has been positive because the energy industry isa positive because the energy industry is a white and male dominated industry, i felt throughout my journey so far that people created space and created a seat for me round the table. they wanted you to succeed? they round the table. they wanted you to succeed ? they wanted round the table. they wanted you to succeed? they wanted me to succeed andi succeed? they wanted me to succeed and i got a lot of help in some environments because there were not many women. i got a lot of help from men, men executives. and this has been a very positive experience and i really think that, i hope one day to capitalise on that and do something to help others to step into a field like that and grow the number of women in it. we thank you very much for coming in to talk about your story and your development as well. dr enass abo—hamed, front h2g0 power. thank you. but first, how do you

learn to do a skill, if you don't have the necessary equipment? well, andrew garrido's family simply couldn't afford a piano when he was growing up, so how on earth could he follow his dreams of becoming a pianist? let's find out. my name is andrew garrido, i'm an award—winning pianist and musician and, fewer than ten years ago, i learnt how to play the piano on pieces of paper. this is my paper piano, the third version that i drew. i started learning to play the piano on paper because my mum had just been made redundant, and lacking funds to afford i used the paper piano between grades one and grade five, after which, my mum saw my commitment, so she borrowed money from family and friends to pay for a keyboard that i could have at home. but i still had to continue to practise on real pianos. so, often, i would go around to local houses who had pianos, and i was allowed to practise

for an hour or so a week on those. and i began a tour of practice rooms. i'm now in my third of four years on my current course at the guildhall school of music and drama and i'm loving it, i really am. i made a mistake on the paper piano! it's... you make mistakes, that's the thing. i don't think there's ever been a greater challenge than playing on a piece of paper. looking back, having done that, i'm quite ready to face any other challenges that come my way now. never underestimate what you're able to do, and if you think you're at the limit of what you're able to do, try harder. he laughs you can always give more, and you'll be surprised what you're able to achieve when you really search inside yourself for that

willpower, for that strength, to achieve what you really, really want to go for. and absolutely inspirational story. andrew garrido, fantastic. his pa rents andrew garrido, fantastic. his parents never had to nag him, he wa nted parents never had to nag him, he wanted to do it, didn't he? the question of the day, do you still like going to the traditional business party? a lot of people don't. these are your thoughts. sorry to hear that, sarah.

well, we wish you the best and if it is your office party later. we will be back at the same time tomorrow, thanks for watching. goodbye. good morning. it has been a rather foggy and frosty start to the day. that fog lifts and clears away from many of us, brighter skies developing the afternoon. but into the west, it will turn wet and windy. all because of this really quite big area of low pressure dominating the weather through today. that will bring these weather systems further east and the white lines show the ayes bar is quite close together so a strengthening wind in the west as well. the rain moves through northern ireland into western scotland, wales and south—west england. further east, the fog may be a bit stubborn to clear away from eastern areas, but there will be some brighter skies. maximum temperatures down the east coast 5—9, 8—11 further west. by

this evening, the wind really strengthens, gusts of 60 or 70 mph around exposed coastal areas, 5060 further england. those winds can strengthen with more of the western areas of northern ireland, rain spreads east. but it will be a much milder night compared to the last few nights. certainly frost free. those temperatures will be up at about 9—11d on thursday morning. during thursday, we still have this broad area of low pressure towards the west. still these weather systems straddled across the uk, but the winds coming in from the south so we will continue to lose the fast and it will be milderfor many of so we will continue to lose the fast and it will be milder for many of us for the end of the week. —— the frost. there is day, rain across southern areas were gradually move northwards, after a bright start across scotland, northern areas of england and northern areas, rain eventually spreads its way in late in the day. some dry interludes before further showers, those could before further showers, those could be on the heavy side on thursday afternoon. look at those

temperatures, 10—13, maybe even a0 degrees. and we keep these weather systems and this broad area of low pressure going into friday. there the rain spreading in from the south during the day. again, that can be quite heavy at at times during friday for england and wales. rain eventually pushes into scotland. further south, a bit drier and brighter into the afternoon. there could be one or two showers around. temperatures, ten or 11 celsius in the south, may be coming down a few degrees in northern areas, 8—9d celsius. at a fairly quiet start to the week, the end of the week is looking much more unsettled, but it will be mild for many of us and todayis will be mild for many of us and today is certainly the last day of the frosts for this year. goodbye.

you're watching bbc news at nine with me, annita mcveigh. the headlines... former prime minister tony blair attacksjeremy corbyn's leadership and warns that labour will be replaced as a serious political force if it tries to "whitewash" the scale of its election defeat. the result has brought shame on us. we let our country down. to go into an election at any time with such a divergence between party and people is unacceptable. thousands of nurses in northern ireland have begun a 12—hour strike over pay and patient safety. and at 9:15am we'll be speaking live to the chief executive and general secretary of the royal college of nurses. president trump faces a vote on removing him from office today.