Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy is on track to be bigger than Barbie in the UK, thanks to a record number of pre-sales.
The fourth and final chapter of the franchise – which is adapted from Helen Fielding’s novels – sees Renée Zellweger reprise her title role nine years after the third film.
The story rejoins Bridget as she navigates her 50s as a widowed mother to two, following the death of her partner Mark Darcy (Colin Firth). Now, she finds herself in an unexpected relationship with a park supervisor (Leo Woodall), who happens to be 20 years younger than her.
Hugh Grant and Emma Thompson also reprise their roles for the film, while Firth, despite his character being dead, still makes a number of spectral appearances.
Mad About the Boy will not be released in cinemas in the US and will instead head straight to streaming. In the UK, however, it’s on course to become the biggest homegrown hit of the year, and also the most financially successful Bridget Jones instalment of the franchise.
“We’re anticipating it to be one of the biggest titles of the year in the UK, the biggest British film of the year, and the biggest box office for the first half of 2025,” said Robert Mitchell, director of theatrical insights at Gower Street Analytics (via The Guardian).
“Pre-sales are even higher than for blockbusters like Barbie,” said Eduardo Leal, group Regional director of screen content for the Vue cinema chain. “It is tracking to be the biggest ever Bridget Jones film.”
Mad About the Boy is offering cinemagoers a light-hearted alternative to Oscar contenders such as the post-Holocaust epic The Brutalist and September 5, based on the terrorist attack at the 1972 Munich Olympics.
The final Bridget Jones instalment will also go up against Captain America: Brave New World, which will be released in cinemas on Valentine’s Day.
“I can also say that we’re anticipating a bumper Valentine’s weekend with a perfect mix of titles for all audiences,” added Mitchell. “I think Bridget is perfectly placed counter-programming to Captain America.”
In other film news, The Brutalist star Adrien Brody recently revealed that the movie’s makeup artist tried to remove his nose on set, after mistaking it for a prosthetic.