Synopsis
History's greatest playwright is young, out of ideas and short of cash, but meets his ideal woman and is inspired to write one of his most famous plays.
Scores
Overall Score
91.6
Popularity Percentile (Year)
91.0%
Box Office Percentile (Year)
97.5%
Review Aggregate
82.6
Critic Consensus
Critic reception is largely positive, with 92% of 148 logged reviews marked Fresh. Across reviews, critics repeatedly emphasize romantic, funny, historical. Most critics frame the film as an effective delivery of its core style and intent.
romanticfunnyhistoricalcharacter-drivenlightheartedtragicstylizedemotionalrealisticsatirical
Cast
| Cast | Year | Reported Salary | Inflation Adjusted | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gwyneth Paltrow | 1998 | $750,000 source | $1,443,405 | reported |
| Joseph Fiennes | 1998 | $684,000 | $1,316,000 | (est) |
| Geoffrey Rush | 1998 | $515,000 | $991,000 | (est) |
| Colin Firth | 1998 | $700,000 source | $1,347,178 | reported |
| Ben Affleck | 1998 | $360,000 | $693,000 | (est) |
| Judi Dench | 1998 | $317,000 | $610,000 | (est) |
| Simon Callow | 1998 | $285,000 | $548,000 | (est) |
| Jim Carter | 1998 | $259,000 | $499,000 | (est) |
| Martin Clunes | 1998 | $239,000 | $459,000 | (est) |
| Antony Sher | 1998 | $222,000 | $427,000 | (est) |
| Imelda Staunton | 1998 | $207,000 | $399,000 | (est) |
| Tom Wilkinson | 1998 | $195,000 | $376,000 | (est) |
| Mark Williams | 1998 | $185,000 | $355,000 | (est) |
Aggregated Reviews
Rotten Tomatoes critic score92.0
RT critic review count148
Rotten Tomatoes audience score80.0
RT audience rating count100,000
IMDb rating7.1
IMDb votes239,998
Box Office ?
| Category | Year | Reported | Inflation Adjusted |
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic | 1998 | $100,317,794 | $193,065,595 |
| International | 1998 | $189,000,000 | $363,738,037 |
| Worldwide | 1998 | $289,317,794 | $556,803,632 |
Earnings / Profitability
| Category | Year | Reported | Inflation Adjusted |
|---|---|---|---|
| Revenues | |||
| Theatrical Net Revenue | 1998 | $125,758,897 | $242,028,012 |
| Digital Rentals ? | 1998 | N/A | N/A |
| Digital Purchases ? | 1998 | N/A | N/A |
| Physical Rentals ? | 1998 | $31,276,000 | $60,191,909 |
| Physical Purchases ? | 1998 | $43,753,000 | $84,204,393 |
| TV & Streaming Revenue | 1998 | $28,088,982 | $54,058,367 |
| Total Revenues | 1998 | $228,876,879 | $440,482,681 |
| Expenses | |||
| Budget ? | 1998 | $25,000,000 | $48,113,497 |
| Print & Advertising (P&A) ? | 1998 | $27,256,000 (est) | $52,455,259 (est) |
| Participations | 1998 | $34,332,000 | $66,073,303 |
| Residuals ? | 1998 | $6,891,000 | $13,262,004 |
| Interest & Overhead | 1998 | $4,250,000 | $8,179,294 |
| Total Expenses | 1998 | $97,729,000 | $188,083,358 |
| Movie Net Profit or Loss | 1998 | $131,147,879 | $252,399,324 |
Similar Movies
| Poster | Movie | Year | Match | Overall | Est. Profit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Much Ado About Nothing | 1993 | Shared genres: 5 | 77.1 | $55,812,004 |
 | Emma | 1996 | Shared genres: 5 | 75.5 | $53,033,744 |
 | Twelfth Night | 1996 | Shared genres: 5 | 39.4 | $6,821,759 |
 | Princess Caraboo | 1994 | Shared genres: 5 | 31.5 | $15,228,477 |
 | Groundhog Day | 1993 | Shared genres: 4 | 95.4 | $78,676,439 |