10 'St. Trinian's'
Year: 2007
Director: Oliver Parker/Barnaby Thompson
Running time: 100 minutes
UK Box Office (£ million): 12.3
St. Trinian's has done a pretty good job of getting the worst reputation of any girl's private school in Britain, but that didn't have an effect on it's box office performance as it creeps into the top 10 highest grossing British produced films. The plot consists of the troublesome students staging a robbery to save their school from bankruptcy. It may have been easier for them to steal some of their box office takings to prevent the bankruptcy, as the film earned over £12,000,000.
9 'Trainspotting'
Year: 1996
Director: Danny Boyle
Running time: 94 minutes
UK Box Office (£ million): 12.4
This popular British classic tells the story of heroin addict Mark Renton, (Ewan McGregor) whom is submerged in the Edinburgh drug culture. With not much going for him and constantly finding ways to finance his habit, Renton decides enough is enough and packs his bags for London where he finds himself a job, as a property letting agent. However, his friends arrive at his doorstep on the back of a big score, leading Renton back into a life of drugs and crime. 'Trainspotting' has maintained it's popularity right from the start after raking in a total of £4,000,000 from its opening weekend back in March 1996.
8 'Philomena'
Year: 2013
Director: Stephen Frears
Running time: 98 minutes
UK Box Office (£ million): 13.9
'Philomena' is a heart wrenching tale of love lost and forgiveness which was well received in the UK box office racking just under £14,000,000. Philomena is the name of an elderly Irish lady, whom had been forced to put her son up for adoption when she was 18, and was trying to track him down. Unfortunately, the orphanage that the child was sent to was one of many of it's ilk. The nuns and the priest whom worked there often sold the children to childless Catholic American couples. A business model run on cruelty and self-righteousness. The ending is tear-jerking and definitely worth a watch.
7 'Slumdog Millionaire'
Year: 2008
Director: Danny Boyle
Running time: 120 minutes
UK Box Office (£ million): 23
Released in 2008, 'Slumdog Millionaire' tells the story of a young street urchin in India who wants to become a millionaire. With it's beautiful, bright mixtures of colours and uneven veins of market stalls, Boyle paints an incredible picture of a culturally rich society.
Then suddenly, Boyle cuts to a slum lord removing the eyes so children can beg more effectively.
'Slumdog Millionaire' is a film of two halves. It bridges gaps. The gaps between the Monsoon Tycoons and the homeless. Between fantasy and reality. Even between Hollywood and Bollywood. For many, I expect, this film represents first foray into the wonderful wackiness of Indian cinema.
6 'Four Weddings and a Funeral'
Year: 1994
Director: Mike Newell
Running time: 117 minutes
UK Box Office (£ million): 27.8
This classic British comedy revolves around the romance between an unorganised yet charming Englishman and a beautiful American woman. Over the course of five social occasions, consisting of 'Four Weddings and a Funeral', the English bachelor played by the brilliant Hugh Grant, comes to realise he may have found love with this elegant American. The film was well received earning over £27,000,000 in the UK box office back in the mid-1990s and still remains a fan favourite.
5 'The Inbetweeners 2'
Year: 2014
Director: Ben Palmer
Running time: 96 minutes
UK Box Office (£ million): 33.4
The sequel to 'The Inbetweeners' (2011), the second installment 'Inbetweeners 2' released in 2014 involves the four school friends,once again, this time on a trip 'down under' to Australia. Great expectation came with the second film, and although it generally received good reviews, fans were left slightly disappointed in comparison to the previous film and the sitcom series before. Nevertheless, financially the film was a success as it broke the record of its predecessor for the highest gross on the opening day of a comedy in the UK, with £2.75 million.
4 'Love Actually'
Year: 2003
Director: Richard Curtis
Running time: 135 minutes
UK Box Office (£ million): 36.9
A star studded cast which includes the likes of Bill Nighy, Colin Firth, Hugh Grant, Keira Knightley and Liam Neeson, 'Love Actually' was destined to be a success. Throw in a hint of Christmas spirit and the British public flocked straight to the cinemas in this festive comedy that reeled in over £6,000,000 in its opening weekend. The cleverly crafted storyline where individuals search for love stretching from to the snowy regions of America to even 10 Downing Street, it is no surprise that 'Love Actually' has the tag as the 'Romcom' of the holiday seasons.
3 'The Inbetweeners Movie'
Year: 2011
Director: Ben Palmer
Running time: 97 minutes
UK Box Office (£ million): 45
The extremely popular teenage comedy, based on the original sitcom series, takes the journeys of our four favourite British students to a whole new level. Equipped with their own personalised t-shirts, Jay, Neil, Will and Simon set sail for their first 'lads holiday' to the party island of Malia, Crete. Judging from the success of the television series in the UK, which led to teenagers everywhere using infamous Inbetweeners phrases to interact with each other, it is no surprise the film was a success in the UK box office.
2 'The King's Speech'
Year: 2011
Director: Tom Hooper
Running time: 118 minutes
UK Box Office (£ million): 45.7
One of the most successful independent British movies to hit the big screens, 'The King's Speech' tells the story of the man who became King George VI, the father of Queen Elizabeth II. With Colin Firth as King George VI and Geoffrey Rush as his Australian speech therapist who tries to correct His Majesty's nervous stammer, the film is an audience pleaser that depicts aspects of British history extremely well. 'The King's Speech' took in over £3,000,000 from 400 cinemas in the UK helping it the to gross over £45 million.
1 'The Full Monty'
Year: 1997
Director: Peter Cattaneo
Running time: 91 minutes
UK Box Office (£ million): 51.9
This colourful comedy set in the city of Sheffield, once known as the 'City of Steel' with jobs aplenty and trade booming. However, with the industry in decline and unemployment growing, two jobless friends search for a new way to put bread on the table. After stumbling across a Chippendales dance club, the two friends are amazed at the popularity and attention from local women. After recruiting 4 unlikely candidates, the men form a saucy striptease act boasting they will literally go 'The Full Monty' to attract the crowds. This timeless classic never ceases to make any audience chuckle and, as a result, has pulled in over £50 million for the UK film industry.