Mid-cap share tip of the week: Cineworld Cinema spending continues to defy the doom-mongers - and investors in Cineworld are reaping the benefits. The chain, which operates 80 sites in Britain and Ireland, this week said half-year profits before tax had reached £16.5m and that core revenue was up by 10.5pc. It sold an incredible 24.3 million tickets, up by 1.3 million on a year earlier. The demand is such that it did this while increasing the average price from £5.15 to £5.39. A decline in cinema demand was expected given the attack on entertainment spending from new entrants such as LoveFilm. But Cineworld is bullish and last year bought the Picturehouse chain for £47m. The niche chain attracts a higher-spending customer, paying an average of £6.19 for tickets. The Great Gatsby and Quentin Tarantino's Django Unchained have been a hit this year. These more discerning customers even spend more on food - £2.88, compared with £1.72 at Cineworld. The Daily Telegraph's Questor column tipped the shares last year. They have doubled in the past two years and yet still yield 3.2pc. After that run, Questor says hold. Your Money tipped the shares in April 2011 at 208p, compared with 391p today. But Cineworld has other fans. Mark Slater, son of legendary investor Jim Slater, has kept the stock in the top 10 holdings of his MFM Slater Income fund for several years. The strongly performing Standard Life UK Equity Income Unconstrained fund has also been a big backer.