26/11/2003 - The star studded film, Love Actually, directed by the scriptwriter, Richard Curtis, has stormed the UK box office. And it looks set to become the most successful British film of all time

The directorial debut of the award winning scriptwriter, Richard Curtis, Love Actually [+see also:
trailer
film profile], has scored the highest UK opening weekend for the film’s producers, Working Title, and distributor, UIP. Since its release last Friday, it has taken over £6.6m across the UK from 477 cinemas and 775 screens.

The performance of this film has topped the success Richard Curtis’ had with his previous hits as a scriptwriter, Bridget Jones Diary and Notting Hill, which took respectively £5.7m and £4.7m on their opening weekends. And in fact Love Actually looks set to become the most successful British film of all time.

The feel-good movie stars some of the UK’s hottest actors including Hugh Grant, Liam Neeson, Colin Firth, Emma Thompson, Alan Rickman and the rising star, Keira Knightley, who played opposite Johnny Depp in Pirates of The Caribbean.

Commenting on the film’s mixed reviews published in the UK and US press, Richard Curtis told the BBC during the UK premiere on November 16: “I’d rather make a film that most of the audience liked and some critics didn’t, rather than a film that critics loved and nobody wanted to watch”…. The record-breaking opening of his film will only re-confirm him as one of the most successful scriptwriters of all time, able not only to conquer UK audiences but also to capture a worldwide public.