Pierce Brosnan's 'Mamma Mia!' Becomes Biggest British Box Office Hit Ever
Pierce Brosnan doesn’t need a James Bond film in order to rule the box office charts.
The Telegraph reports that the musical comedy Mamma Mia!, featuring the former 007 star performing ABBA songs along with Meryl Streep has become the biggest box office hit ever in the UK.
Since its 18 July release, the film has grossed an astonishing £69.05 million (about $108 million), surpassing the previously untouchable Titanic and it’s £69.03 million total. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone follows in third place with £66.1 million.
Mamma Mia!, which co-stars Colin Firth and Julie Walters, cost £28 million to make and has grossed $571.1 million (£365 million) in box offices around the world.
‘Mamma Mia! is pure escapism, proving a fun and inexpensive way to forget about the state of the economy for a couple of hours,’ said David Kosse, the president of Universal Pictures International.
‘For Mamma Mia! to make history in this way and beat Titanic, which has held the record in the UK since 1998, is truly phenomenal. This film has exceeded our expectations and delighted audiences around the world since it opened in July.’
In addition to topping the UK box office charts, Brosnan’s musical comedy has become the most popular film of the year in 15 countries, including Austria, Germany, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Greece, Hungary, Norway, Portugal, South Africa, Spain, Switzerland, Cyprus, Iceland, Slovenia and Sweden.
Phil Clapp, chief executive of the Cinema Exhibitors’ Association (CEA) praised the film for contributing to what was the best summer for cinema attendance in 40 years in the UK. He called Mamma Mia! an ‘absolute phenomenon … in times of economic gloom, people seek affordable and escapist entertainment.’
Furthermore, Mamma Mia! broke records upon its recent DVD release–becoming the fastest selling title ever in the UK–selling 1.7 million copies on its first day, surpassing Titanic‘s previous record of 1.2 million.
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