The Boat That Rocked | |
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Directed by | Richard Curtis |
Written by | Richard Curtis |
Produced by | |
Starring | |
Cinematography | Danny Cohen |
Edited by | Emma E. Hickox |
Production companies | |
Distributed by | Universal Pictures (International) StudioCanal (France)[2] Focus Features (North America) |
Release dates |
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Running time | 135 minutes[3] |
Countries |
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Language | English |
Budget | US$50 million[4] |
Box office | US$36.6 million[4] |
The Boat That Rocked (titled Pirate Radio in North America[5]) is a 2009 comedy-drama written and directed by Richard Curtis about pirate radio in the United Kingdom during the 1960s. The film has an ensemble cast consisting of Philip Seymour Hoffman, Bill Nighy, Rhys Ifans, Nick Frost and Kenneth Branagh. Set in 1966, it tells the story of the fictional pirate radio station "Radio Rock" and its crew of eclectic disc jockeys, who broadcast rock and pop music to the United Kingdom from a ship anchored in the North Sea while the British government tries to shut them down. It was produced by Working Title Films for Universal Pictures and was filmed on the Isle of Portland and at Shepperton Studios.
After the world premiere in Leicester Square on 23 March 2009,[6] the film was released theatrically in the United Kingdom and Ireland on 1 April 2009. It was a commercial failure at the British box office making only US$10.1 million in its first three months, just a fifth of its US$50 million production cost.[4] It received mixed reviews and criticism for its length. For its North American release, the film was cut by 20 minutes and retitled Pirate Radio. Opening on 13 November 2009, it earned only $8 million in the US. When the worldwide theatrical run was finished in January 2010, the film had grossed US$36.6 million.[4]