Absolute Beginners

1986 | Drama, Musical, Romance

Synopsis

In London in 1958, a young photographer seeks media stardom to keep the love of a beautiful, aspiring fashion designer.

Scores

Overall Score
30.2
Popularity Percentile (Year)
31.9%
Box Office Percentile (Year)
13.6%
Review Aggregate
55.3

Critic Consensus

60.0% Fresh • 5 critic reviews

Critic reception is mixed, with 60% of 5 logged reviews marked Fresh. Across reviews, critics repeatedly emphasize character-driven, romantic, emotional. Common reservations focus on execution consistency, even when reviewers praise standout elements.

character-drivenromanticemotionalvisually strikingthought-provokingrealistic

Cast

CastYearReported SalaryInflation AdjustedNotes
Eddie O'Connell1986$378,000$1,082,000(est)
Patsy Kensit1986$233,000$666,000(est)
David Bowie1986$175,000$501,000(est)
James Fox1986$143,000$410,000(est)
Ray Davies1986$122,000$351,000(est)
Anita Morris1986$108,000$309,000(est)
Steven Berkoff1986$97,000$277,000(est)
Sade Adu1986$88,000$252,000(est)

Aggregated Reviews

Rotten Tomatoes critic score70.0
RT critic review count10
Rotten Tomatoes audience score38.0
RT audience rating count2,500
IMDb rating5.6
IMDb votes3,886

Box Office ?

CategoryYearReportedInflation Adjusted
Domestic1986$930,211$2,662,474
International1986N/AN/A
Worldwide1986$930,211$2,662,474

Earnings / Profitability

Estimated net revenues and net expenses for films based on reported and estimated numbers. This income statement should be considered most viable for the first 24 months after the inital movie's release (ie after most lucrative pay windows).
CategoryYearReportedInflation Adjusted
Revenues
Theatrical Net Revenue1986$465,106$1,331,237
Digital Rentals ?1986N/AN/A
Digital Purchases ?1986N/AN/A
Physical Rentals ?1986$2,156,000$6,170,960
Physical Purchases ?1986$926,000$2,650,422
TV & Streaming Revenue1986$372,084$1,064,990
Total Revenues1986$3,919,190$11,217,608
Expenses
Budget ?1986$8,400,000$24,042,701
Print & Advertising (P&A) ?1986$744,000 (est)$2,129,496 (est)
Participations1986$78,000$223,254
Residuals ?1986$237,000$678,348
Interest & Overhead1986$1,680,000$4,808,540
Total Expenses1986$11,139,000$31,882,339
Movie Net Profit or Loss1986$-7,219,810$-20,664,730

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