British comedy films that topped the box office
Is comedy your favourite film genre? Given you are reading British Comedy Guide right now, we would hope it is!
From allowing you to unwind at the end of the day by having a laugh, to improving your mental health and helping you connect with your loved ones, comedy movies are just what you need in your life.
When it comes to the very best comedy films, you can't do much better than British movies, mostly for the dry humour and elements of satire. We bet you can think of quite a number of brilliant UK-made productions that have made you laugh, but which are the most popular overall?
One way of spotting a hit movie is by looking at how much it made at the box office, an indicator of how many people wanted to see the film in cinemas.
Here's four British comedy films which coined it in when they were released...
Monty Python's Life Of Brian
This British comedy, first released back in November 1979, was created by the Monty Python group. It is about how a man called Brian Cohen keeps getting mistaken for the Messiah. An easy mistake for people in the story to make: he was born on the same day, as well as next door.
Despite causing controversy when it was released (a number of cinemas banned it), it was still a big hit for the sketch group. Life Of Brian was the highest grossing British film in the US that year, and has proved popular in the video rental and DVD purchase markets both sides of the pond ever since. Not a surprise, as it often appears in the lists of the best comedies of all time prompting people who haven't seen it yet to seek it out. They are richly rewarded.
The Full Monty
Next, we have to talk about The Full Monty. Released in 1997, this production is categorised as a black comedy movie. Essentially, the story revolves around a male striptease act created by former steel workers. You might think to yourself, 'has this relatively low budget movie really make it on to a list of the top performing films?' Well, one of the facts you may not have known about The Full Monty is that it is one of the most successful films at the British Box Office, generating a huge £52.2 million.
Black comedy movies consistently prove themselves to be some of the most popular among audiences around the world. It's not just in the UK. More contemporary American-made black comedy movies like The House - which brought in $34.2 million at the box-office - have also performed well.
The Inbetweeners
People were very excited when they heard that their favourite current British sitcom, The Inbetweeners, was being made into a movie. It was clearly going to get a lot of people heading to the cinema to see the end result. Indeed, this proved to be the case, and the film instantly broke box office records when it made over £13 million in its opening weekend. Following a group of teenagers going on their first holiday together, the relatable story perhaps usurpingly spawned a sequel a few years later.
Notting Hill
Drum roll please... We are going to end this list with reportedly the highest grossing British Comedy of all time, Notting Hill. Released in 1999, it was undoubtedly a hit.
Just in case you've not seen it, we'll point out it stars Hugh Grant and Julia Roberts, and it's about the love between a simple unknown bookkeeper and a famous American actor. Full of love, laughter, joy and a touch of heartbreak, this movie drew in movie-goers across the world, grossing a total of $363 million at the box office. With re-runs shown throughout the year, the popularity of this film doesn't look like it will die down any time soon.