The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, financed by Fox Searchlight Pictures and Participant Media, has today crossed $100 million in worldwide gross receipts, Searchlight Presidents Steve Gilula and Nancy Utley announced today. Full details are listed in the below press release:
The film has amassed nearly $20 million in U.S. box office receipts since it began its platform release May 4th. Opening in select cities, it has become the 7th highest grossing film for Fox Searchlight Pictures in just over 3 weeks – also making it the highest grossing specialty film of 2012. As it expanded to over 1200 screens over the Memorial Day holiday, the film came in with a 4-day box office gross of $8.4 million, placing it #8 in the top 10 films — behind tent-poles playing on nearly 3 times as many screens. The film had already grossed $81.2M overseas since February.
After its London world premiere in February, “The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel” opened to strong box-office business in the United Kingdom. The film continued to build worldwide and has already passed both The Queen and Calendar Girls in total International grosses. The film is currently the 3rd highest-grossing 2012 release in Australia and New Zealand (behind only “The Avengers” and “The Hunger Games”) and 4th highest-grossing 2102 title in the U.K. (behind “The Avengers”, “The Hunger Games”, and “The Woman in Black”). Currently, the film marks the 4th best international grossing film released worldwide by Fox Searchlight Pictures, behind only “Black Swan” ($224.6M), “The Full Monty” ($212M), and “The Descendants” ($93.2M).
“The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel” continues to perform beyond our wildest expectations. It is a true humanist story that resonates with audiences of all ages everywhere and is a return to pure character driven drama. John Madden is a master storyteller and has drawn great performances from the crème de la crème of British cinema, said Utley and Gilula.
Jim Berk, Participant Media CEO said, We are thrilled that this wonderful film is captivating audiences everywhere. The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel is a perfect example of what we at Participant look for–a good story, well told; in other words, a timely and believable tale full of humor and heart, with an optimistic and hopeful message for everyone about being open to change and new experiences in order to continue to grow.
“The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel” is supposed to be Indias answer for the UKs most elegant retirees a place where they can spend their golden years surrounded by lush amenities that is, until seven retirees who are in need of a transformation find themselves on the front steps of the not-quite-ready resort. Thus begins a comic, romantic and poignant adventure in a land full of unexpected pleasures, brought to life by some of the most honored and accomplished screen actors of our time. Fox Searchlight Pictures Presents, in association with Participant Media and Image Nation Abu Dhabi, a Blueprint Pictures Production, a film by John Madden, with a cast including Judi Dench, Maggie Smith, Tom Wilkinson, Bill Nighy, Penelope Wilton, Celia Imrie, Ronald Pickup and Dev Patel. The film is directed by John Madden (“Shakespeare in Love”) from a script by Ol Parker and based on the novel These Foolish Things by Deborah Moggach. The producers are Graham Broadbent and Peter Czernin of Blueprint Pictures. The executive producers are Jeff Skoll, Ricky Strauss and Jonathan King.
