We discover the top-10 most popular comedy films in the UK right now, ones that more than simply make you laugh, or crack a smile (although, how could it be a great comedy if that’s all it did?).

Such iconic comedy films have layers and tug on an array of our emotions, romcoms like Notting Hill, the great but disastrous characters like secret agent Johnny English, Captain Jack Sparrow or Mrs Doubtfire. Mostly it can be about things that we think ‘yep done that!’ uncomfortable truths together with the funnies. We cannot forget the Christmas/Children’s ones too Home Alone, The Muppets and more – giggling while gorging on your favourite Celebrations and flavoured Gin!

This all makes choosing the top-10 most popular comedy films in the UK a difficult one. Thousands of you voted in the YouGov Poll to come up with the top-100, here we disclose just the top-10. Will your choices be in the headliners?

If you love great comedy check-out the Blackpool Grand’s full list of A-list comics coming soon. Or, check out our list of the Most Popular Comics in the UK, The Best Sitcoms or great Parent Blogs and Influencers to follow…

Top-10 Most Popular Comedy Films In The UK

The next time you need a touch of comedy to turn that frown upside-down, this list is a great start, how many can you tick off already? Worth a second, third, 10th watch? DEFINITELY!

Johnny English

The 2003 spy action-comedy film Johnny English, directed by Peter Howitt and written by Neal Purvis, Robert Wade and William Davies.

Starring king of comedy Rowan Atkinson in the title role, more commonly known as a singer Natalie Imbruglia, straight man Ben Miller and John Malkovich. Now a Johnny English film series and dare we say loosely a parody/homage to the spy genre, the ‘Mr Bean’ as the James Bond type character. The film received such great response Atkinson’s bumbling spy character was used in adverts in the UK for Barclaycard (1990s).

Grossed $160 million worldwide against a budget of $40 million. The film was released in the UK on 11 April 2003 and topped the country’s box office for the next three weekends. Following its commercial success, it was followed by two sequels, Johnny English Reborn and Johnny English Strikes Again, in 2011 and 2018, respectively.

The Hangover

A 2009 American comedy film directed by Todd Phillips, co-produced with Daniel Goldberg, and written by Jon Lucas and Scott Moore. It is the first instalment in The Hangover trilogy.

The film stars Bradley Cooper, Ed Helms, Zach Galifianakis, Heather Graham, Justin Bartha, Ken Jeong, and Jeffrey Tambor. It tells the story of four friends who travel to Las Vegas for a bachelor party to celebrate one’s impending marriage. However, three wake up with one of the parties (the groom) missing and absolutely no memory of the previous night, I mean ‘what could have happened, right?’, now they must find the groom before the wedding can take place.

The Hangover was released on June 5, 2009 and was a critical and commercial success. The film became the tenth highest-grossing film of 2009, with a worldwide gross of over $467 million. The film won the Golden Globe Award for Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy and received multiple other accolades. It is the tenth highest-grossing worldwide film of 2009.

A sequel, The Hangover Part II, was released in 2011, and a third and final instalment, The Hangover Part III, was released in, 2013.

Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales

Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales a 2017 swashbuckler fantasy film directed by Joachim Rønning and Espen Sandberg from a script by Jeff Nathanson, the film is the sequel to On Stranger Tides (2011) and the fifth instalment in the Pirates of the Caribbean film series. It stars regular cast members Johnny Depp, Javier Bardem, Geoffrey Rush, Brenton Thwaites, Kaya Scodelario, and Kevin McNally.

Dead Men Tell No Tales premiered in Shanghai in 2017 and grossed $794 million worldwide against a production budget estimated at between $230–320 million.

Dads Army

A top-10 surprise to many we imagine… A 2016 British war comedy film, based on the BBC television sitcom Dad’s Army. Directed by Oliver Parker, set in 1944, after the events depicted in the television series. Catherine Zeta-Jones plays an elegant German spy, posing as a journalist, reporting on the Walmington-on-Sea Home Guard platoon.

The film was released in 2016 in the United Kingdom.

Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End

It’s another, Pirates of the Caribbean film on the list, At World’s End (2007), the third instalment in the film series and the sequel to Dead Man’s Chest (2006). It follows Will Turner, Elizabeth Swann, Hector Barbossa, and the crew of the Black Pearl as they seek to rescue Captain Jack Sparrow from Davy Jones’ Locker. They then prepare to fight the East India Trading Company, led by Cutler Beckett, who controls Davy Jones and plans to extinguish piracy forever.

With a production budget of nearly US$ 300 million, it was, at the time of production, the most expensive film ever made.

The film was praised for its performances, direction, musical score, action scenes, humour and special effects. At World’s End was the highest-grossing film of 2007, bringing in over $960 million. It was nominated at the 80th Academy Awards for the Academy Award for Best Makeup and the Academy Award for Best Visual Effects.

The Muppets

A 2011 musical comedy film directed by James Bobin, written by Jason Segel and Nicholas Stoller, and believe it or not, the seventh theatrical film featuring the Muppets. The film stars Segel, Amy Adams, Chris Cooper, and Rashida Jones, as well as Muppets performers.

In the film, devoted Muppet fan Walter, his human brother Gary and Gary’s girlfriend Mary help Kermit the Frog reunite the disbanded Muppets, as they must raise $10 million to save the Muppet Theatre from Tex Richman, a businessman who plans to demolish the studio to drill for oil.

The Muppets premiered at the Savannah Film Festival and was released theatrically in 2011. The film was a critical and commercial success, grossing $165 million worldwide on a budget of $45 million and garnering praise for its humour, screenplay and music. The film won the Academy Award for Best Original Song for McKenzie’s song “Man or Muppet”, as well as garnering BAFTA and Critic’s Choice Awards nominations. A sequel, titled Muppets Most Wanted, was released in 2014.

Notting Hill

The iconic Notting Hill is a British-American romantic comedy. The film stars legends, Julia Roberts and Hugh Grant, with the support of Rhys Ifans, Emma Chambers, Tim McInnerny, Gina McKee, and Hugh Bonneville. The heart-wrenching love story is of a romance between a London bookseller (Grant) and a famous American actress (Roberts), who happens to walk into his shop.

Released in 1999, Notting Hill was well-received by critics and became the highest-grossing British film of all time. The film was nominated for the Golden Globe Award for Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy, with Roberts and Grant also receiving nominations for their performances, while the film also earned two BAFTA nominations. It also won a British Comedy Award and a Brit Award for the soundtrack.

Top-3 Most Popular Comedy Films In The UK

Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest

Yes, it’s another Pirates of the Caribbean film: Dead Man’s Chest the second instalment of the film series and the sequel to Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003). In the film, the wedding of Will Turner (Orlando Bloom) and Elizabeth Swann (Keira Knightley) is interrupted by Lord Cutler Beckett (Tom Hollander), who wants Turner to acquire the compass of Captain Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp) in a bid to find the Dead Man’s Chest. Sparrow discovers his debt to Davy Jones (Bill Nighy) is due.

Released in 2006, receiving praise for its special effects, direction, action sequences, Hans Zimmer’s musical score, humor, and performances, particularly those of Depp and Nighy. The film again broke incredible records at the time, including the opening-weekend record (US) with $136 million, the fastest film to gross over $1 billion at the worldwide box office – a staggeringly impressive 63 days, and became the highest-grossing film of 2006. The film received Academy Award nominations for Best Art Direction, Sound Editing, Sound Mixing, and won the Academy Award for Best Visual Effects.

Runner Up – Bridget Jones’s Diary

Bridget Jones’s Diary (2001) a romantic comedy film based on Fielding’s 1996 novel of the same name, which is a reinterpretation of Jane Austen’s 1813 novel Pride and Prejudice. The adaptation stars Renée Zellweger as Bridget Jones, a 32-year-old English single woman, who writes a diary that focuses on the things she wishes to happen in her life. However, her life changes when two men vie for her affection, portrayed by Colin Firth and Hugh Grant.

Bridget Jones’s Diary premiered in 2001 grossing over $280 million worldwide. Zellweger’s performance garnered her a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Actress. Over the years, it has been hailed as a cult film as well as part of the English pop culture with Bridget Jones being cited as a British cultural icon. The success spawned a Bridget Jones franchise with two equally successful sequels being released, Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason (2004), and Bridget Jones’s Baby (2016).

TOP SPOT For Most Popular Comedy films – Mrs Doubtfire

This American comedy-drama film was based on the 1987 novel Alias Madame Doubtfire by Anne Fine. Robin Williams, who also served as a co-producer, stars with Sally Field, Pierce Brosnan, Harvey Fierstein, and Robert Prosky. It follows a recently divorced actor (Williams) who dresses up as a female housekeeper to be able to interact with his children. The film address’s strong themes of divorce, separation, and the effects they have on a family.

Released in 1993 it won the Academy Award for Best Makeup and the Golden Globe Award for Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy. Williams was awarded the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy. Grossing $441.3 million on a $25 million budget, becoming the second highest-grossing film of 1993 worldwide.

We hope you will agree on an impressive list of the Most Popular Comedy films in the UK…