Pierce Brosnan`s `Mamma Mia` risen to be highest grossing film in Britain

Mamma Mia!, the feel-good film which has provided much needed relief from the credit crunch, has become the highest grossing film of all time at the British box office.

Featuring a tone deaf Pierce Brosnan singing Abba songs and set on an idyllic Greek Island, the film has so far taken £69.05m at the UK box office since its release on July 18. Titanic took a total of £69.03m, followed by Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, which collected £66.1m.

The Telegraph reports that the film, which cost £28m to make and also features Meryl Streep, Colin Firth and Julie Walters, has taken $571.1m in box offices around the world.

“Mamma Mia! is pure escapism, proving a fun and inexpensive way to forget about the state of the economy for a couple of hours,” said David Kosse, the president of Universal Pictures International.

“For Mamma Mia! to make history in this way and beat Titanic, which has held the record in the UK since 1998, is truly phenomenal. This film has exceeded our expectations and delighted audiences around the world since it opened in July.”

Now in its 22nd week of release in the UK, Mamma Mia! has become the most popular film of the year in 15 countries, including Austria, Germany, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Greece, Hungary, Norway, Portugal, South Africa, Spain, Switzerland, Cyprus, Iceland, Slovenia and Sweden.

The introduction of Singalong screenings of the film further boosted cinema attendance months into the film’s initial release.

In Britain, the film has contributed to what was the best summer for cinema attendance in 40 years. Phil Clapp, chief executive of the Cinema Exhibitors' Association (CEA), said Mamma Mia! has proved an “absolute phenomenon ... In times of economic gloom, people seek affordable and escapist entertainment.”

The film is following in the footsteps of the stage show, which has been playing in London since 1999 and has become a global phenomenon. Thirty million people have seen the show worldwide and have sung along to Abba's hits. It has taken an estimated $2bn at the theatre box office globally.

The latest record for Mamma Mia! follows the recent revelation that the film was the fastest-selling DVD ever – selling 1.7m copies on its first day. It beat the record of 1.2m copies set by Titanic in 1998.

The latest record for the successful film was broken just a few days after the film picked up two Golden Globe nominations for best picture, musical or comedy and best actress, musical or comedy for Meryl Streep.

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