Tell me more, tell me more… Grease has been named the UK’s favourite movie soundtrack of all time, according to new national research published today.

The study, carried out by Showcase Cinemas to celebrate the release of Ghostbusters: Afterlife starring Paul Rudd and Finn Wolfhard, sees nearly a quarter of Brits (23%) opt for the iconic 1970s musical, with dance classic Dirty Dancing (18%) and ABBA extravaganza Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again (16%) rounding off the top three.

Whitney Houston claimed top spot when it came to the UK’s favourite song from a film soundtrack as nearly 1 in 5 (18%) voted for her iconic power ballad “I Will Always Love You” from The Bodyguard. The 90s smash hit narrowly beat competition from Bryan Adams’ “Everything I Do (I Do it For You)”, from 1991s Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves (17%) and “Unchained Melody” by The Righteous Brothers, synonymous with 1990s movie Ghost.

In the battle to be crowned the UK’s favourite tune from an animated movie, the top two could not be separated. Singing bear Baloo from 1967’s Jungle Book took joint top spot with “The Bare Necessities” (26%) alongside the Elton John composition “Circle of Life” from Disney favourite The Lion King. Support from the younger generation saw 21st century favourite “Let it Go” from Frozen propelled into the top three (23%).

Perhaps the most surprising result from the study saw over 1 in 5 people (22%) choose “Don’t Cry for Me Argentina” from Evita as their favourite song from a musical. The Andrew Lloyd Webber composition edged its way to the top of the list despite fierce competition from Grease’s “Summer Nights” (21%) and “Grease” (20%), which both landed inside the top three.

In honour of the latest instalment of the Ghostbusters franchise, Showcase Cinemas polled Brits to find out just how iconic the Ghostbusters classic “Ghostbusters (Who Ya Gonna Call?)” really is. A whopping 80% of those surveyed said they knew the iconic song from the 1984 film.

However, 1 in 3 Brits identified the James Bond theme as the most recognisable movie song/instrumental, with Celine Dion’s “My Heart Will Go On” from Titanic accounting for more than a quarter of votes (26%) and the disturbing Jaws (25%) theme landing in third place.

The older generation tended to opt for songs from older movies, with 25% of over 65s selecting The Bodyguard, Ghost and The Graduate as their favourite movie soundtracks, whereas at the other end of the spectrum, 18 – 24-year-olds chose “My Heart Will Go On” from Titanic as their song of choice.

There was also a gender divide when it came to choosing a favourite song from a movie soundtrack. More than one in five women (21%) selected “I Will Always Love You”, while men (17%) primarily went for Simon & Garfunkel favourite “Mrs. Robinson” from 1967’s The Graduate.

Mark Barlow, UK General Manager for Showcase Cinemas, said: “The big screen has provided us with so many iconic soundtracks over the years that it is near impossible to choose a favourite. However, with its enduring popularity Grease took top spot, having maintained its status throughout several generations.

“Elsewhere it was interesting to see the UK was unable to decide when it came to their favourite song from an animated movie, with both “The Bare Necessities” and “Circle of Life” providing a heart-warming dose of nostalgia whenever they are heard.

“We are looking forward to the release of the latest instalment of the Ghostbusters franchise, Ghostbusters: Afterlife, and it was great to see a huge amount of people still recognise the iconic song “Ghostbusters (Who Ya Gonna Call?)”.

The survey also revealed that over 7 in 10 people (71%) said a good film soundtrack is important to them, with only 1 in 5 saying it doesn’t matter to their enjoyment of a movie.

Ghostbusters: Afterlife hits Showcase Cinemas on Thursday, with tickets available now: www.showcasecinemas.co.uk/film-info/ghostbusters-afterlife