List of highest-grossing films in the United Kingdom

The theatrical poster for Gone with the Wind.
Gone with the Wind has generated the most admissions at cinemas in the United Kingdom

This list charts the most successful films at cinemas in the United Kingdom by box office sales, in pounds sterling and admissions. An overview of the top-earning films and record-holders is provided, as well as the highest-grossing British productions, the most successful non-English language films and the sound films that have generated the most admissions. A summary of the most popular films over the course of the last century is also included.

American productions dominate, with all films earning over £50 million at the box office either completely or partly produced by Hollywood studios. British film is well represented, with about half the films on the list qualifying as British productions; however, due to the globalization of the film industry most successful British productions since the start of the twenty-first century have been co-produced with other countries. There is no universally accepted definition of a film's nationality, so the criteria used by the sources supplying the data are applied where it is given.

The 2015 Star Wars film, The Force Awakens, is the highest-grossing film in terms of nominal box-office sales. The effects of inflation are a significant contributing factor to recent films surpassing the box-office records of older films, so when considering the number of admissions Gone with the Wind (1940) is the most successful film, although this was achieved over several release cycles prior to the home video era.

Highest-grossing films by box-office revenue

Top earning films

The highest earners at the box-office are mostly American films and UK-US co-productions. Film series dominate—accounting for twenty of the twenty-four films that have earned in excess of £50 million—including five Harry Potter adaptations, Peter Jackson's first four Tolkien adaptations, the four Daniel Craig James Bond films and two Star Wars instalments. Thirteen entries are British co-productions and a further four are based on stories and characters created by British writers. This table only charts films released since 1989, but due to inflation it is unlikely anything released prior to then will surpass the films on the list in nominal terms.[1]

Films with earnings over £50 million since 1989[1][2]
Rank Title Gross
(£ million)
Year
1 United Kingdom* Star Wars: The Force Awakens has increased gross since 21 February 2016 123.0[3] 2015
2 United Kingdom* Skyfall 103.2 2012
3 United Kingdom* Spectre has increased gross since 21 February 2016 95.2[4] 2015
4 Avatar 94.0 2009
5 Titanic 80.3 1998
6 Toy Story 3 74.0 2010
7 United Kingdom* Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2 73.1 2011
8 United Kingdom* Mamma Mia! 68.6 2008
9 United Kingdom* Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone 66.1 2001
10 Jurassic World 64.5 2015
11 The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring 63.0 2001
12 The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King 61.1 2003
13 The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers 57.6 2002
14 Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace 56.4 1999
15 United Kingdom* The Dark Knight Rises 56.3 2012
16 United Kingdom* Casino Royale 55.6 2006
17 United Kingdom* Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets 54.8 2002
18 Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest 52.5 2006
19 United Kingdom* Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1 52.5 2010
20 The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey 52.3 2012
21 United Kingdom* The Full Monty 52.2 1997
22 Marvel Avengers Assemble 51.9 2012
23 United Kingdom* Quantum of Solace 51.2 2008
24 United Kingdom* Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince 50.7 2009
Films marked as United Kingdom* are classified as British co-productions by the British Film Institute.
film currently playing indicates the film's gross has increased since 21 February 2016.

Record-holders

Since 1975, twelve films may have set the record as the "highest-grossing" film. Regular tracking of box-office performance only started in 1975, so it is only possible to chart the transition of the record with any serious degree of accuracy within this period. Prior to then, The Sound of Music is accepted to be the record-holder, assuming the record from another musical, South Pacific, in 1966 and going on to treble the earnings of that film.[5][6] It is possible that some of the earlier films in the chart did not surpass the box office of The Sound of Music, and it may have retained the record until the release of E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial.[nb 1]

Skyfall, the twenty-third James Bond film in the long-running Eon series, became the first film to gross over £100 million in setting a new record at the box-office.[10] All the record-holders since tracking began have been either partially or fully produced by Americans, although The Full Monty, Mamma Mia!, Skyfall and Star Wars: The Force Awakens were UK-US collaborations. Only the grosses that set records are included in the timeline; earnings from subsequent re-releases after the film conceded the record are omitted.

Timeline of the highest-grossing film record since 1975[10]
Year of
record
Title Record setting gross
(£ million)
1976 Jaws 11.8
1978 Star Wars 14.4
1978 Grease 14.7
1983 E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial 21.7
1990 Ghost 23.3
1993 Jurassic Park 47.9
1997 United Kingdom* The Full Monty 52.2
1998 Titanic 69.0
2008 United Kingdom* Mamma Mia![nb 2] 68.6/69.2
2010 Avatar 94.0
2012 United Kingdom* Skyfall 103.2[1]
2016 United Kingdom* Star Wars: The Force Awakens[11] has increased gross since 21 February 2016 123.0[3]
Films marked as United Kingdom* are classified as British co-productions by the British Film Institute.
film currently playing indicates the film's gross has increased since 21 February 2016.

British productions

The most successful British productions in the modern marketplace generally have American investment, with The King's Speech and The Inbetweeners Movie the only fully British films to have earned in excess of £40 million. Film series still dominate, accounting for nineteen of the top twenty-four films. The remaining films mostly comprise adaptations of popular novels, stage musicals, television series and biographical films based on renowned historical British figures. The King's Speech replaces Star Wars: The Force Awakens as the most successful British production if the criteria is restricted to solely British-produced films.

British productions with earnings over £40 million since 1989[1][12]
Rank Title Gross
(£ million)
Year
01 Star Wars: The Force Awakens has increased gross since 21 February 2016 123.0[3] 2015
02 Skyfall 103.2 2012
03 Spectre has increased gross since 21 February 2016 95.2[4] 2015
04 Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2 73.1 2011
05 Mamma Mia! 68.5 2008
06 Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone 66.1 2001
07 The Dark Knight Rises 56.3 2012
08 Casino Royale 55.6 2006
09 Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets 54.8 2002
10 Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1 52.5 2011
11 The Full Monty 52.2 1997
12 Quantum of Solace 51.2 2008
13 Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince 50.7 2009
14 Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix 49.9 2007
15 Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire 49.2 2005
16 The Dark Knight 49.1 2008
17 Avengers: Age of Ultron 48.3 2015
18 Bridget Jones's Baby has increased gross since 22 February 2016 47.7[13] 2016
19 The Jungle Book has increased gross since 22 February 2016 46.2[14] 2016
20 Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban 46.1 2004
21 United Kingdom The King's Speech 45.7 2011
22 United Kingdom The Inbetweeners Movie 45.0 2011
23 Bridget Jones's Diary 42.0 2001
24 Les Misérables 40.8 2013
Films marked as United Kingdom are classified as solely British by the British Film Institute.
All other films are international co-productions.
film currently playing indicates the film's gross has increased since 21 February 2016.

British films with earnings over £10 million since 1989[1][15]
Rank Title Gross
(£ million)
Year
01 The King's Speech 45.7 2011
02 The Inbetweeners Movie 45.0 2011
03 The Inbetweeners 2 33.4 2014
04 Slumdog Millionaire 31.7 2009
05 Four Weddings and a Funeral 27.8 1994
06 Trainspotting 12.4 1996
07 St Trinian's 12.3 2007
08 Philomena 11.1 2013
09 Kevin & Perry Go Large 10.5 2000
10 East Is East 10.4 1999
All films are classified as solely British by the British Film Institute.

Non-English language films

Chinese and Spanish films have achieved the most success at the box-office in the twenty-first century, with three entries apiece among the top ten non-English language performers. The Passion of the Christ, directed by Mel Gibson, is the top performer and Gibson also has another entry in fourth place with Apocalypto; both films feature dead languages. Only the top two films were competitive with the top British films.

Top ten non-English language films of the twenty-first century[16][17]
Rank Title Language Gross
(£ million)
Year
1 The Passion of the Christ Aramaic/Latin/Hebrew 11.08 2004
2 Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon Mandarin 9.37 2001
3 Amélie French/Russian 5.01 2001
4 Apocalypto Mayan 4.11 2007
5 Hero Mandarin 3.82 2004
6 House of Flying Daggers Mandarin 3.78 2004
7 Volver Spanish 2.88 2006
8 The Motorcycle Diaries Spanish 2.75 2004
9 Pan's Labyrinth Spanish 2.72 2006
10 Dhoom 3 Hindi 2.71 2013

Highest-grossing films by box-office admissions

Up to and including 2003, the British Film Institute (BFI) estimate fifty-two sound films have generated over 10 million admissions. The European Audiovisual Observatory (LUMIERE) have been tracking UK admissions since 1996, and they estimate that twenty-two films have generated over 10 million admissions in that period. Due to conflicting estimates, both sets of figures are presented together here in chronological order. While the two datasets are generally consistent with each other, the estimates from LUMIERE are on average slightly lower than those from the BFI, leading to Bridget Jones's Diary being included in the BFI dataset but excluded from the LUMIERE one. The largest discrepancy is in the estimates for Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone; there is a difference of 5 million admissions, but LUMIERE do not include any UK data for 2002 while they do for other countries, which may explain the shortfall.

Re-releases also exacerbate the differences in some cases: both Star Wars Episode I and Titanic were successfully re-released in 2012, and while the LUMIERE dataset includes admissions from the reissues the BFI chart does not. While The Lion King did not generate 10 million admissions during its original release, it may have accumulated 10 million admissions due to a re-release: according to the BFI it had generated over 8 million admissions during its first run in 1994, and LUMIERE estimate it generated another 2 million with its 2011 reissue. If Bridget Jones and The Lion King are included, sixty-five sound films in total have generated over 10 million admissions at UK cinemas.

Sound films with over 10 million admissions
Year Title Admissions (millions) Ref(s)
BFI LUMIERE
1938 Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs 28.00 [# 1]
1940 Gone with the Wind 35.00 [# 2]
1942 Mrs. Miniver 10.20 [# 3]
1943 Random Harvest 12.00 [# 4]
1944 United Kingdom Fanny by Gaslight 11.70 [# 5]
1945 United Kingdom The Wicked Lady 18.40 [# 6]
United Kingdom The Seventh Veil 17.90 [# 7]
United Kingdom I Live in Grosvenor Square 10.30 [# 8]
1946 The Bells of St. Mary's 15.20 [# 9]
United Kingdom Piccadilly Incident 11.50 [# 10]
1947 The Best Years of Our Lives 20.40 [# 11]
United Kingdom The Courtneys of Curzon Street 15.90 [# 12]
The Jolson Story 11.60 [# 13]
1948 United Kingdom Spring in Park Lane 20.50 [# 14]
1949 United Kingdom The Third Man 14.00 [# 15]
1950 United Kingdom The Blue Lamp 13.30 [# 16]
1951 The Great Caruso 12.40 [# 17]
1952 The Greatest Show on Earth 13.00 [# 18]
1954 United Kingdom Doctor in the House 12.20 [# 19]
1956 The Ten Commandments 15.00 [# 20]
1957 United Kingdom* The Bridge on the River Kwai 12.60 [# 21]
1958 South Pacific 16.50 [# 22]
1959 Ben Hur 13.20 [# 23]
United Kingdom Carry On Nurse 10.40 [# 24]
1961 United Kingdom* The Guns of Navarone 11.40 [# 25]
1964 Mary Poppins 14.00 [# 26]
United Kingdom Goldfinger 13.90 [# 27]
1965 The Sound of Music 30.00 [# 28]
United Kingdom Thunderball 15.60 [# 29]
1966 United Kingdom* Doctor Zhivago 11.20 [# 30]
1968 The Jungle Book 19.80 [# 31]
1972 The Godfather 11.00 [# 32]
1974 The Sting 11.08 [# 33]
1975 Jaws 16.20 [# 34]
The Towering Inferno 11.78 [# 35]
1977 United Kingdom The Spy Who Loved Me 12.46 [# 36]
1978 Star Wars 20.76 [# 37]
Grease 17.20 [# 38]
United Kingdom Superman 10.19 [# 39]
1982 E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial 13.13 [# 40]
1993 Jurassic Park 16.10 [# 41]
1994 The Lion King 8.08 (1994) 2.14 (2011) [# 42][# 43]
1996 Independence Day 10.79 10.58 [# 44][# 45]
1997 United Kingdom(*) The Full Monty[nb 3] 14.19 11.10 [# 46][# 47]
1998 Titanic 18.91 18.92 [# 48][# 49]
1999 Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace 13.59 12.84 [# 50][# 51]
2000 Toy Story 2 12.18 10.32 [# 52][# 53]
2001 United Kingdom* Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone 17.56 12.40 [# 54][# 55]
The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring 15.98 15.30 [# 56][# 57]
United Kingdom* Bridget Jones's Diary 10.15 9.72 [# 58][# 59]
2002 The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers 14.40 12.35 [# 60][# 61]
United Kingdom* Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets 14.18 12.18 [# 62][# 63]
2003 The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King 15.22 11.60 [# 64][# 65]
2004 Shrek 2 10.71 [# 66]
United Kingdom* Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban 10.26 [# 67]
2005 United Kingdom* Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire 10.41 [# 68]
2006 Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest 10.78 [# 69]
United Kingdom* Casino Royale 10.42 [# 70]
2008 United Kingdom* Mamma Mia! 13.35 [# 71]
2009 United Kingdom* Avatar[nb 3] 16.51 [# 72]
2010 Toy Story 3 12.64 [# 73]
2011 United Kingdom* Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2 12.06 [# 74]
2012 United Kingdom* Skyfall 16.15 [# 75]
2015 United Kingdom* Spectre has increased gross since 21 February 2016 13.01 [# 76]
Star Wars: The Force Awakens[nb 3] has increased gross since 21 February 2016 12.08 [# 77]
Films marked as United Kingdom are classified as solely British by the accompanying source.
Films marked as United Kingdom* are classified as British co-productions.
film currently playing indicates the film's gross has increased since 21 February 2016.

Most popular films

Most successful films

Highest-grossing

  • Film – Star Wars: The Force Awakens
  • British co-production – The Force Awakens
  • British film – The King's Speech
  • Non-British – Avatar
  • Non-English language – The Passion of the Christ
  • Animated – Toy Story 3

Admissions

  • Film – Gone with the Wind
  • British silent film – The Battle of the Somme
  • British sound film – Spring in Park Lane
  • Animated – Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs

Overview of the twentieth century

In 2004, the British Film Institute published a list charting sound films that generated the most admissions at cinemas in the United Kingdom.[18] The list is reproduced here ranking the top fifty films released in the UK throughout the twentieth century, defined as covering the period from 1 January 1901 until 31 December 2000. The later films that appear on the BFI list—2001 onwards—are omitted from this chart for the purpose of providing an overview of the century. The second table ranks British sound productions from the twentieth century, five of which are co-productions with other countries.

Market conditions, industry practices, demographic and cultural shifts have all impacted on cinema attendance throughout the century. Cinemagoing steadily rose during the 1930s with the arrival of sound and peaked in the 1940s, with 1946 setting a record of over 1,635 million annual admissions; roughly equivalent to thirty visits to the cinema per capita. Attendance dropped off after the Second World War, mainly due to the rising popularity of television. The decline of the cinema was compounded by the rise of home video in the 1980s and reached an all-time low of 54 million admissions in 1984.[19] With declining attendance came the closure of many cinemas; a trend that was not reversed until the birth of the multiplex in the late 1980s, with annual cinema admissions climbing back up to around 176 million in 2002.[19][20] As expected, the 1940s—when cinema attendance was at an all-time high—is the most represented decade on the chart accounting for nearly a third of all entries, while the 1980s—when attendance was at its lowest—is the least represented post-war decade.[18] However, the disparity between the two extremes is not as great as the overall attendance figures suggest due to the fact that vastly more titles were distributed in the 1940s.[20]

When comparing the films in the chart, several trends emerge. British films comprise half the entries during the 1940s—as opposed to just one entry in the last twenty years of the century—due in part to the British government imposing quota caps on foreign features, as well as the inherent difficulties in importing films during the Second World War.[18] With so many men away on National service, films that performed well were also heavily skewed toward female audiences, exemplified by no fewer than four films headlined by Anna Neagle during this period.[19][20] Prior to the 1980s when home video became popular, there was also a lot more repeat viewing, with some films during the 1950s and 60s enjoying extended runs—sometimes lasting up to several years—as roadshows.[18][20] A film's content can also have a prohibitive effect on its success: most films in the chart are either family or children's films, with only two films (The Godfather and A Clockwork Orange) carrying an X rating or its replacement, the 18 certificate, denying entry to minors.[21]

Overall, Gone with the Wind has generated the most admissions at the UK box office with 35 million and Spring in Park Lane is the most successful British sound film with 20 million, while 1938's Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs is the oldest film in the chart with 28 million admissions. While the chart does not take into account silent films, 1916's The Battle of the Somme is generally regarded to be the most successful film of the silent era, with over 20 million admissions.[21]

Top fifty sound films of the twentieth century[22]
Rank Title Admissions
(millions)
Year
01 Gone with the Wind 35.00 1940
02 The Sound of Music 30.00 1965
03 Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs 28.00 1938
04 Star Wars 20.76 1978
05 United Kingdom Spring in Park Lane 20.50 1948
06 The Best Years of Our Lives 20.40 1947
07 The Jungle Book 19.80 1968
08 Titanic 18.91 1998
09 United Kingdom The Wicked Lady 18.40 1945
10 United Kingdom The Seventh Veil 17.90 1945
11 Grease 17.20 1978
12 South Pacific 16.50 1958
13 Jaws 16.20 1975
14 Jurassic Park 16.10 1993
15 United Kingdom The Courtneys of Curzon Street 15.90 1947
16 United Kingdom Thunderball 15.60 1965
17 The Bells of St. Mary's 15.20 1946
18 The Ten Commandments 15.00 1956
19 United Kingdom* The Full Monty 14.19 1997
20 Mary Poppins 14.00 1964
21 United Kingdom The Third Man 14.00 1949
22 United Kingdom Goldfinger 13.90 1964
23 Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace 13.59 1999
24 United Kingdom The Blue Lamp 13.30 1950
25 Ben Hur 13.20 1959
26 E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial 13.13 1982
27 The Greatest Show on Earth 13.00 1952
28 United Kingdom* The Bridge on the River Kwai 12.60 1957
29 United Kingdom The Spy Who Loved Me 12.46 1977
30 The Great Caruso 12.40 1951
31 United Kingdom Doctor in the House 12.20 1954
32 Toy Story 2[nb 4] 12.18 2000
33 Random Harvest 12.00 1943
34 The Towering Inferno 11.78 1975
35 United Kingdom Fanny by Gaslight 11.70 1944
36 The Jolson Story 11.60 1947
37 United Kingdom Piccadilly Incident 11.50 1946
38 United Kingdom* The Guns of Navarone 11.40 1961
39 United Kingdom* Doctor Zhivago 11.20 1966
40 The Sting 11.08 1974
41 The Godfather 11.00 1972
42 Independence Day 10.79 1996
43 United Kingdom Carry On Nurse 10.40 1959
44 United Kingdom I Live in Grosvenor Square 10.30 1945
45 Mrs. Miniver 10.20 1942
46 United Kingdom Superman 10.19 1978
47 United Kingdom A Clockwork Orange 9.90 1971
48 Crocodile Dundee 9.80 1986
49 Men in Black 9.73 1997
50 For Whom the Bell Tolls 9.70 1944
Films marked as United Kingdom are classified as solely British by the British Film Institute.
Films marked as United Kingdom* are classified as British co-productions.

Top twenty-five British productions[22]
Rank Title Admissions
(millions)
Year
01 Spring in Park Lane 20.50 1948
02 The Wicked Lady 18.40 1945
03 The Seventh Veil 17.90 1945
04 The Courtneys of Curzon Street 15.90 1947
05 Thunderball 15.60 1965
06 United Kingdom* The Full Monty 14.19 1997
07 The Third Man 14.00 1949
08 Goldfinger 13.90 1964
09 The Blue Lamp 13.30 1950
10 United Kingdom* The Bridge on the River Kwai 12.60 1957
11 The Spy Who Loved Me 12.46 1977
12 Doctor in the House 12.20 1954
13 Fanny by Gaslight 11.70 1944
14 Piccadilly Incident 11.50 1946
15 United Kingdom* The Guns of Navarone 11.40 1961
16 United Kingdom* Doctor Zhivago 11.20 1966
17 Carry On Nurse 10.40 1959
18 I Live in Grosvenor Square 10.30 1945
19 Superman 10.19 1978
20 A Clockwork Orange 9.90 1971
21 United Kingdom* Moonraker 9.41 1979
22 I'm All Right Jack 9.40 1959
23 49th Parallel 9.30 1941
24 Live and Let Die 9.00 1973
25 Oliver! 8.90 1968
Films marked as United Kingdom* are classified as British co-productions by the British Film Institute.
All other films are classified as solely British.

Overview of the twenty-first century

Film series and adaptations have been the highest earners in the twenty-first century, with only one film—Avatar in 2009—that is not adapted from a pre-existing property or a sequel emerging as the highest-grossing film of the year. Since the British Film Institute does not regularly track admissions, the only complete metric available for assessing a film's success is the box office revenue, and over a period of time inflation of the currency becomes a key factor when comparing the relative success of films.[1] Ticket prices rose rapidly at the beginning of the twenty-first century, with the average cost increasing by over 50 per cent since 2000.[23] To this end it is useful to adjust the box office gross for inflation, so a chart ranking films by the real value of their earnings is provided alongside a chart of the years' biggest films. After recalculating the grosses using the HM Treasury UK GDP deflator, Star Wars: The Force Awakens remains the most successful film of the twenty-first century.

The Harry Potter series is particularly well represented, topping the year on five occasions with two films present in the adjusted top ten. The James Bond films and The Lord of the Rings trilogy also have a strong presence, with two films apiece among the top ten, adjusted for inflation. Approximately half the films in both charts are British co-productions, while The Lord of the Rings/The Hobbit is based on British source material and Avatar was partially funded by Ingenious Media, a British media investment conglomerate. As per the nominal record, The King's Speech replaces Star Wars: The Force Awakens as the most successful British production of the twenty-first century adjusted for inflation if the criteria is restricted to solely British-produced films.[1]

Highest-grossing films of the year in the twenty-first century[1]
Year Title Gross
(£ million)
2001 United Kingdom* Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone 66.1
2002 United Kingdom* Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets[nb 5] 54.8
2003 The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King 61.1
2004 Shrek 2 48.2
2005 United Kingdom* Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire 49.2
2006 United Kingdom* Casino Royale 55.6
2007 United Kingdom* Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix 49.9
2008 United Kingdom* Mamma Mia! 68.6
2009 Avatar 94.0
2010 Toy Story 3 74.0
2011 United Kingdom* Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2 73.1
2012 United Kingdom* Skyfall 103.2
2013 Despicable Me 2 47.5
2014 The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies 41.2
2015 United Kingdom* Star Wars: The Force Awakens has increased gross since 21 February 2016 123.0[3]
Films marked as United Kingdom* are classified as British co-productions by the British Film Institute.
film currently playing indicates the film's gross has increased since 21 February 2016.
Top ten films of the twenty-first century adjusted for inflation[1]
Rank Title Adjusted gross
(£ million)
Year
1 United Kingdom* Star Wars: The Force Awakens has increased gross since 21 February 2016 122.3 2015
2 United Kingdom* Skyfall 107.2 2012
3 Avatar 104.5 2009
4 United Kingdom* Spectre has increased gross since 21 February 2016 95.2 2015
05 United Kingdom* Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone 91.1 2001
6 The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring 86.8 2001
7 Toy Story 3 79.5 2010
08 The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King 79.9 2003
9 United Kingdom* Mamma Mia! 78.9 2008
10 United Kingdom* Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2 77.7 2011
Films marked as United Kingdom* are classified as British co-productions by the British Film Institute.
film currently playing indicates the film's gross has increased since 21 February 2016.

References

Notes
  1. It is not known exactly how much The Sound of Music grossed at the box office, since accurate records were not maintained at the time. Hall and Neale (2010) states that the "foreign" rentals (the distributor's share of the box office outside of the US market after deducting the exhibitor's cut) were as high as $50 million, with approximately half coming from Britain alone.[6] The film was the top money-maker of the year for four consecutive years between 1965 and 1968,[5] during which time the US dollar to pound sterling exchange rate was approximately $2.68 to £1 averaged over the four years,[7] meaning $25 million would translate to roughly £9.3 million. This estimate is consistent with Roger Manvell's (the first director of the British Film Academy), who estimated its earnings as of 1968 at over £7 million.[8] 20th Century Fox collected roughly two-thirds of the gross,[9] so rentals of £7–10 million would equate to an exhibition gross of £10–15 million.
  2. According to earlier BFI Yearbooks Mamma Mia! earned £69.2 million, beating the £69.0 million earned by Titanic, but more recently the British Film Institute has revised the gross to £68.6 million.[1] If the revised estimate is correct and the original gross for Titanic is not subject to any revision then Mamma Mia! would not have assumed the record.
  3. 1 2 3 The European Audiovisual Observatory disagrees with the British Film Institute over the national classifications of The Full Monty, Avatar and Star Wars: The Force Awakens. The Observatory regards The Full Monty as a British film while the BFI considers it a British-American co-production. In the case of Avatar and Star Wars:The Force Awakens the Observatory categorizes them as a British-American co-production and an American film respectively.
  4. The twentieth century is defined to be the period from 1 January 1901 up to 31 December 2000. However, the common perception is that the century ended on 31 December 1999—coinciding with the millennium celebrations—and if Toy Story 2 is discounted on this basis, then One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1976) would occupy the fiftieth place in the chart with 9.65 million admissions.
  5. The British Film Institute have possibly made an error in listing Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets as the highest-grossing 2002 release. Its UK earnings of £54.8 million were second to those of Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers which was released in the same year and grossed £57.6 million.
Sources
  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 "Top Films of All Time at the UK Box Office" (PDF). British Film Institute. April 2016. Retrieved 10 June 2016.
  2. Films that have grossed over £50 million
    • Top films as of 2011: BFI Statistical Yearbook. British Film Institute. 2012. p. 27.
    • Top films in 2012: BFI Statistical Yearbook. British Film Institute. 2013. p. 24.
    • Top films in 2013: BFI Statistical Yearbook. British Film Institute. 2014. p. 22.
    • "Top films in 2014" (PDF). British Film Institute. 2015. p. 3.
    • "Top films in 2015" (PDF). British Film Institute. 2016. p. 3.
  3. 1 2 3 4 "UK weekend box office report" (XLS). British Film Institute. 27–29 May 2016. Retrieved 10 June 2016.
  4. 1 2 "UK weekend box office report" (XLS). British Film Institute. 4–6 March 2016. Retrieved 20 March 2016.
  5. 1 2 Hall, Sheldon (2006). "The Sound of Music". In Williams, Linda Ruth; Hammond, Michael. Contemporary American Cinema. McGraw-Hill. pp. 26–28. ISBN 9780335218318. In Britain it opened in March 1965 and remained in continuous circulation until 1969. By December 1965, when it had been shown in only seventeen pre-release engagements in London and key cities, it had grossed £1,925,869 from 6,926,825 admissions [Kine. Weekly, 16 December 1965: 151]. A year later it had broken South Pacific's record of £2,300,000, which had been amassed over seven years of release, for the highest gross received by any film shown in Britain, with an estimated 21 million admissions to date ... As a result, it was named by Kine. Weekly top UK money-maker for four years in succession, from 1965 to 1968.
  6. 1 2 Hall, Sheldon; Neale, Stephen (2010). Epics, spectacles, and blockbusters: a Hollywood history. Wayne State University Press. pp. 184185. ISBN 978-0-8143-3008-1. Estimates of worldwide rentals by the time of its withdrawal in 1969 ranged from $115 million to $125 million, either way making it the highest-grossing film to date. As much as $50 million of the total came from the foreign market, around half of it from Britain alone, where the film more than tripled the take of the previous all-time record-holder, South Pacific.
  7. Officer, Lawrence H. "Dollar-Pound Exchange Rate From 1791: 1965–1968". MeasuringWorth. Retrieved 5 December 2013.
  8. Manvell, Roger (1968). New cinema in the U.S.A.: the feature film since 1946. Picturebacks Series. Studio Vista. p. 28. The Sound of Music was seen by some 23 million people in Britain, and grossed more than £7 million in that country alone.
  9. Barthel, Joan (20 November 1966). "'The Sound of Music': Biggest Money-Making Movie of All Time — How Come?". The New York Times. Retrieved 17 March 2015.
  10. 1 2 BFI Statistical Yearbook (2012 ed.). London: British Film Institute. 2013. pp. 22 & 32.
  11. Sandwell, Ian (11 January 2016). "'Star Wars: The Force Awakens' retains top spot at UK box office with $8.7m". ScreenDaily.com. Retrieved 14 January 2016.
  12. British productions that have grossed over £40 million
  13. "Weekend box office figures". British Film Institute. Retrieved 20 November 2016.
  14. "UK weekend box office report" (XLS). British Film Institute. 7–9 October 2016. Retrieved 19 October 2016.
  15. British films that have grossed over £10 million
  16. BFI Statistical Yearbook (2013 ed.). London: British Film Institute. 2014. p. 56.
  17. "Specialised Films" (PDF). British Film Institute. November 2015. p. 9. Retrieved 10 June 2016.
  18. 1 2 3 4 "The Ultimate Film: Researching the Chart". British Film Institute. November 2004. Retrieved 25 November 2013.
  19. 1 2 3 "The Ultimate Film: Cinemagoing in Britain". British Film Institute. November 2004. Retrieved 25 November 2013.
  20. 1 2 3 4 James, Nick (November 2004). "Everything you knew about cinema is probably wrong". British Film Institute. Retrieved 25 November 2013.
  21. 1 2 "The Ultimate Film: Interesting Facts". British Film Institute. November 2004. Retrieved 25 November 2013.
  22. 1 2 "The Ultimate Chart: 1–100". British Film Institute. 28 November 2004. Retrieved 14 November 2013.
  23. "UK cinema industry economics and turnover: Average ticket price – 2000 onwards". Cinema Exhibitors' Association. Retrieved 29 July 2015.
Admissions data
  1. "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs". British Film Institute. 28 November 2004. Retrieved 24 November 2013.
  2. "Gone with the Wind". British Film Institute. 28 November 2004. Retrieved 24 November 2013.
  3. "Mrs. Miniver". British Film Institute. 28 November 2004. Retrieved 24 November 2013.
  4. "Random Harvest". British Film Institute. 28 November 2004. Retrieved 24 November 2013.
  5. "Fanny by Gaslight". British Film Institute. 28 November 2004. Retrieved 24 November 2013.
  6. "The Wicked lady". British Film Institute. 28 November 2004. Retrieved 24 November 2013.
  7. "The Seventh Veil". British Film Institute. 28 November 2004. Retrieved 24 November 2013.
  8. "I Live in Grosvenor Square". British Film Institute. 28 November 2004. Retrieved 24 November 2013.
  9. "The Bells of St. Mary's". British Film Institute. 28 November 2004. Retrieved 24 November 2013.
  10. "Piccadilly Incident". British Film Institute. 28 November 2004. Retrieved 24 November 2013.
  11. "The Best Years of Our Lives". British Film Institute. 28 November 2004. Retrieved 24 November 2013.
  12. "The Courtneys of Curzon Street". British Film Institute. 28 November 2004. Retrieved 24 November 2013.
  13. "The Jolson Story". British Film Institute. 28 November 2004. Retrieved 24 November 2013.
  14. "Spring in Park Lane". British Film Institute. 28 November 2004. Retrieved 24 November 2013.
  15. "The Third Man". British Film Institute. 28 November 2004. Retrieved 24 November 2013.
  16. "The Blue Lamp". British Film Institute. 28 November 2004. Retrieved 24 November 2013.
  17. "The Great Caruso". British Film Institute. 28 November 2004. Retrieved 24 November 2013.
  18. "The Greatest Show on Earth". British Film Institute. 28 November 2004. Retrieved 24 November 2013.
  19. "Doctor in the House". British Film Institute. 28 November 2004. Retrieved 24 November 2013.
  20. "The Ten Commandments". British Film Institute. 28 November 2004. Retrieved 24 November 2013.
  21. "The Bridge on the River Kwai". British Film Institute. 28 November 2004. Retrieved 24 November 2013.
  22. "South Pacific". British Film Institute. 28 November 2004. Retrieved 24 November 2013.
  23. "Ben Hur". British Film Institute. 28 November 2004. Retrieved 24 November 2013.
  24. "Carry On Nurse". British Film Institute. 28 November 2004. Retrieved 24 November 2013.
  25. "The Guns of Navarone". British Film Institute. 28 November 2004. Retrieved 24 November 2013.
  26. "Mary Poppins". British Film Institute. 28 November 2004. Retrieved 24 November 2013.
  27. "Goldfinger". British Film Institute. 28 November 2004. Retrieved 24 November 2013.
  28. "The Sound of Music". British Film Institute. 28 November 2004. Retrieved 24 November 2013.
  29. "Thunderball". British Film Institute. 28 November 2004. Retrieved 24 November 2013.
  30. "Doctor Zhivago". British Film Institute. 28 November 2004. Retrieved 24 November 2013.
  31. "The Jungle Book". British Film Institute. 28 November 2004. Retrieved 24 November 2013.
  32. "The Godfather". British Film Institute. 28 November 2004. Retrieved 24 November 2013.
  33. "The Sting". British Film Institute. 28 November 2004. Retrieved 24 November 2013.
  34. "Jaws". British Film Institute. 28 November 2004. Retrieved 24 November 2013.
  35. "The Towering Inferno". British Film Institute. 28 November 2004. Retrieved 24 November 2013.
  36. "The Spy Who Loved Me". British Film Institute. 28 November 2004. Retrieved 24 November 2013.
  37. "Star Wars". British Film Institute. 28 November 2004. Retrieved 24 November 2013.
  38. "Grease". British Film Institute. 28 November 2004. Retrieved 24 November 2013.
  39. "Superman". British Film Institute. 28 November 2004. Retrieved 24 November 2013.
  40. "E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial". British Film Institute. 28 November 2004. Retrieved 24 November 2013.
  41. "Jurassic Park". British Film Institute. 28 November 2004. Retrieved 24 November 2013.
  42. "The Lion King". British Film Institute. 28 November 2004. Retrieved 24 November 2013.
  43. "The Lion King". LUMIERE. European Audiovisual Observatory. Retrieved 24 November 2013.
  44. "Independence Day". British Film Institute. 28 November 2004. Retrieved 24 November 2013.
  45. "Independence Day". LUMIERE. European Audiovisual Observatory. Retrieved 14 November 2013.
  46. "The Full Monty". British Film Institute. 28 November 2004. Retrieved 24 November 2013.
  47. "The Full Monty". LUMIERE. European Audiovisual Observatory. Retrieved 14 November 2013.
  48. "Titanic". British Film Institute. 28 November 2004. Retrieved 24 November 2013.
  49. "Titanic". LUMIERE. European Audiovisual Observatory. Retrieved 14 November 2013.
  50. "Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace". British Film Institute. 28 November 2004. Retrieved 24 November 2013.
  51. "Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace". LUMIERE. European Audiovisual Observatory. Retrieved 14 November 2013.
  52. "Toy Story 2". British Film Institute. 28 November 2004. Retrieved 24 November 2013.
  53. "Toy Story 2". LUMIERE. European Audiovisual Observatory. Retrieved 14 November 2013.
  54. "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone". British Film Institute. 28 November 2004. Retrieved 24 November 2013.
  55. "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's". LUMIERE. European Audiovisual Observatory. Retrieved 14 November 2013.
  56. "The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring". British Film Institute. 28 November 2004. Retrieved 24 November 2013.
  57. "The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring". LUMIERE. European Audiovisual Observatory. Retrieved 14 November 2013.
  58. "Bridget Jones's Diary". British Film Institute. 28 November 2004. Retrieved 24 November 2013.
  59. "Bridget Jones's Diary". LUMIERE. European Audiovisual Observatory. Retrieved 14 November 2013.
  60. "The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers". British Film Institute. 28 November 2004. Retrieved 24 November 2013.
  61. "The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers". LUMIERE. European Audiovisual Observatory. Retrieved 14 November 2013.
  62. "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets". British Film Institute. 28 November 2004. Retrieved 24 November 2013.
  63. "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets". LUMIERE. European Audiovisual Observatory. Retrieved 14 November 2013.
  64. "The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King". British Film Institute. 28 November 2004. Retrieved 24 November 2013.
  65. "The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King". LUMIERE. European Audiovisual Observatory. Retrieved 14 November 2013.
  66. "Shrek 2". LUMIERE. European Audiovisual Observatory. Retrieved 14 November 2013.
  67. "Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban". LUMIERE. European Audiovisual Observatory. Retrieved 14 November 2013.
  68. "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire". LUMIERE. European Audiovisual Observatory. Retrieved 14 November 2013.
  69. "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest". LUMIERE. European Audiovisual Observatory. Retrieved 14 November 2013.
  70. "Casino Royale". LUMIERE. European Audiovisual Observatory. Retrieved 14 November 2013.
  71. "Mamma Mia!". LUMIERE. European Audiovisual Observatory. Retrieved 14 November 2013.
  72. "Avatar". LUMIERE. European Audiovisual Observatory. Retrieved 14 November 2013.
  73. "Toy Story 3". LUMIERE. European Audiovisual Observatory. Retrieved 7 January 2015.
  74. "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2". LUMIERE. European Audiovisual Observatory. Retrieved 14 November 2013.
  75. "Skyfall". LUMIERE. European Audiovisual Observatory. Retrieved 7 January 2015.
  76. "Spectre". LUMIERE. European Audiovisual Observatory. Retrieved 26 July 2016.
  77. "Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens". LUMIERE. European Audiovisual Observatory. Retrieved 26 July 2016.

External links

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