Synopsis
The story of the rise of a madame of a suburban brothel catering to older men, inspired by the real experiences of Cynthia Payne.
Scores
Overall Score
31.2
Popularity Percentile (Year)
17.2%
Box Office Percentile (Year)
26.9%
Review Aggregate
70.2
Critic Consensus
Critic reception is mixed, with 50% of 4 logged reviews marked Fresh. Across reviews, critics repeatedly emphasize funny, political, character-driven. Common reservations focus on execution consistency, even when reviewers praise standout elements.
funnypoliticalcharacter-drivenemotionalvisually strikingthought-provoking
Cast
| Cast | Year | Reported Salary | Inflation Adjusted | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Julie Walters | 1987 | $208,000 | $574,000 | (est) |
| Alec McCowen | 1987 | $128,000 | $353,000 | (est) |
| Shirley Stelfox | 1987 | $96,000 | $266,000 | (est) |
Aggregated Reviews
Rotten Tomatoes critic score67.0
RT critic review count6
Rotten Tomatoes audience score79.0
RT audience rating count500
IMDb rating6.3
IMDb votes1,977
Box Office ?
| Category | Year | Reported | Inflation Adjusted |
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic | 1987 | $1,744,164 | $4,816,411 |
| International | 1987 | N/A | N/A |
| Worldwide | 1987 | $1,744,164 | $4,816,411 |
Earnings / Profitability
| Category | Year | Reported | Inflation Adjusted |
|---|---|---|---|
| Revenues | |||
| Theatrical Net Revenue | 1987 | $872,082 | $2,408,205 |
| Digital Rentals ? | 1987 | N/A | N/A |
| Digital Purchases ? | 1987 | N/A | N/A |
| Physical Rentals ? | 1987 | $5,423,000 | $14,975,309 |
| Physical Purchases ? | 1987 | $2,530,000 | $6,986,452 |
| TV & Streaming Revenue | 1987 | $697,666 | $1,926,564 |
| Total Revenues | 1987 | $9,522,748 | $26,296,531 |
| Expenses | |||
| Budget ? | 1987 | $2,700,000 | $7,455,898 |
| Print & Advertising (P&A) ? | 1987 | $1,213,000 (est) | $3,349,631 (est) |
| Participations | 1987 | $381,000 | $1,052,110 |
| Residuals ? | 1987 | $613,000 | $1,692,765 |
| Interest & Overhead | 1987 | $540,000 | $1,491,180 |
| Total Expenses | 1987 | $5,447,000 | $15,041,584 |
| Movie Net Profit or Loss | 1987 | $4,075,748 | $11,254,947 |
Similar Movies
| Poster | Movie | Year | Match | Overall | Est. Profit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
![]() | Toy Story 3 | 2010 | Shared genres: 1 | 98.0 | $216,158,077 |
![]() | Toy Story | 1995 | Shared genres: 1 | 97.9 | $171,576,204 |
![]() | Back to the Future | 1985 | Shared genres: 1 | 97.9 | $140,846,681 |
![]() | Aladdin | 1992 | Shared genres: 1 | 97.7 | $232,328,117 |
![]() | Up | 2009 | Shared genres: 1 | 97.7 | $103,203,507 |




