Every other country got to see the rom-com at the theater, and they really did come out in droves. The film is now production company Working Titles’ biggest release post-pandemic (beating 2022 Julia Roberts-George Clooney vehicle Ticket To Paradise) and its 4th most successful title of all time in the U.K. and Ireland. In less than a month, it beat out the lifetime averages of both Love Actually and Bridget Jones sequel The Edge Of Reason to become the 3rd highest grossing rom-com ever in the market.
But while we’ll always advocate for theatrical distribution, the decision not to release the film in U.S. theaters did have some precedent behind it. The Bridget Jones franchise has always done better overseas, with the first three films in the series all making over $200 million internationally while earning $71 million or less in the states. There’s a chance Mad About The Boy could have ridden rising star Leo Woodall’s coattails to a higher pot, but we’ll never know.
What we do know, big screen or small, is that Bridget Jones: Mad About The Boy is “quite clearly a labor of love,” as Caroline Siede wrote in her review for The A.V. Club. “It’s filled with affectionate homages to the franchise’s most iconic moments and costumes, and features the return of just about every major and minor supporting player from the past three films,” she continued. Even if you can’t eat a tub of popcorn while you watch, all of that still translates to a living room viewing.
