The Inbetweeners Movie posts biggest-ever opening (including previews) for a UK independent production, as well as for a UK comedy.

Film4’s comedy The Inbetweeners Movie smashed UK box office records for Entertainment Film Distributors this weekend as it opened on a reported £13.2m from 455 sites, including previews, making it the biggest ever opening for any independently produced UK film, as well as for any UK-produced comedy.

The result is the second-biggest UK opening of 2011, behind only Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows Part 2 (£23.7m). The film scored a bigger debut than 2011 hits Pirates Of The Caribbean: On Stranger Tides (£11.6m) and Transformers: Dark Of The Moon (£10.7m) and ranks among the top 30 biggest openings ever in the UK.

Even Avatar only opened on £8.5m from 503 sites. The Inbetweeners Movie opening beats such films as The Matrix Reloaded and Star Wars Episode II: Attack Of The Clones.

The only other independent production that has opened stronger in the UK is Summit-produced Twiglight Saga: Eclipse.

The result was the biggest opening ever for a UK comedy, with the previous best 2004 US/UK production Bridget Jones’ Diary: The Edge Of Reason (£10.4m). The film has already surpassed the lifetime box office performances of Ali G Indahouse and Kevin & Perry Go Large, two successful adaptations of popular UK TV comedy material aimed primarily at the teen and twentysomething demographic.

Producer Chris Young commented: “We are thrilled that The Inbetweeners Movie is the biggest opening of all time for a UK comedy. We really want to thank all the cinema goers out there who have made the film such a huge success.”

Based on the hit Channel 4/E4 TV comedy about four hapless teenage boys, the feature sees the series’ protagonists head to a Greek resort for a lads holiday. Most of the main cast and crew have been retained from the TV series, with director Ben Palmer, writers Damon Beesley and Ian Morris, producer Christopher Young and the cast of Simon Bird, James Buckley, Blake Harrison and Joe Thomas all on board.  

The film was produced on a budget of only £3.5m.

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