U.K. Audiences Really, REALLY Love ‘The Inbetweeners Movie’

Tim Grierson
·Editor
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Sometimes you'll see movies advertised with taglines like "See the film that rocked Britain" or "Experience the film that broke box office records in Australia!" This is supposed to make these overseas flicks seem important to us ugly Americans, but that doesn't mean the movie's actually any good. (After all, "3D Sex and Zen" was a big deal in Hong Kong.) Now comes "The Inbetweeners Movie," which is based on the popular British sitcom and is breaking all kinds of records in the U.K. And there's a good chance you've never even heard of it.

The film, which like the show follows the exploits of four teen boys looking to get laid and cause trouble, had the best opening week ever in the U.K. for a live-action comedy. OK, yes, there are a few qualifiers in there, but its $32.9 million haul eclipsed the previous live-action comedy champ, "The Hangover Part II," which snagged $28 million. (By the way, next time someone from the U.K. pretends he's more sophisticated than us across the Atlantic, remind him that they fell for "The Hangover Part II" as much as we did.) Plus, its opening weekend was stronger than either this summer's "Transformers" or "Pirates of the Caribbean" sequels, getting beat out by only the "Harry Potter" finale. So, yeah, a legitimate sensation.

We're vaguely familiar with the original 2008 sitcom, which started broadcasting on BBC America last year. But even if this is all news to you, don't worry: Like everything worthwhile from Britain, U.S. television will happily make an inferior American version soon. (We see you getting angry, U.S. "Office" fans.) As for "The Inbetweeners" movie, Variety generally liked it, and the film will be making its U.S. debut in November. Make sure you queue up early for the film U.K. audiences spent more money on than "The Hangover Part II" during one seven-day period!

Also, it's cute to hear British boys swearing [the language may be NSFW]:

'The Inbetweeners' Movie Opens to Record $32.9 Million for a Live-Action Comedy in U.K. [The Hollywood Reporter]