Even without a US theatrical release, Bridget Jones’ return to the big screen continues its success internationally as Bridget Jones: Mad About The Boy surpᴀsses a major box-office milestone. The 2025 romantic comedy marks the return of Renee Zellweger’s character for a fourth installment, as she grapples with finding love after a heartbreaking loss. Bridget Jones: Mad About The Boy also features the return of Hugh Grant, Colin Firth, Jim Broadbent, Gemma Jones, and Emma Thompson, while Chiwetel Ejiofor and Leo Goodall make their franchise debuts.

According to ᴅᴇᴀᴅline, Bridget Jones: Mad About The Boy has been a hit internationally despite not receiving a theatrical release in North America. Across 65 markets, Universal has earned a gross of $94.8 million, while French distributor Studiocanal collected $6.5 million, earning just over double its estimated $50 million budget. While there are still other markets for it to be released in, the movie was only released as a direct-to-streaming тιтle on Peacock in the US.

Why Bridget Jones: Mad About The Boy’s Box Office Success Is Significant

The Movie’s Release Strategy May Have Significantly Misread The Market

While the success of romantic comedies such as Anyone But You proved the genre was still incredibly viable in theaters, there was little doubt that Bridget Jones: Mad About The Boy would be a success. Not only was it a proven franchise among audiences, but favorable reviews and a perfectly scheduled release across the Valentine’s Day period in most territories allowed the movie to easily capture audiences’ attention. As such, Peacock’s decision to release the тιтle to streaming could leave many viewers confused.

While the success of Netflix’s own feature-length productions and a shrinking theatrical window may show a shift in the industry, it has been clear that audiences are keen to see movies in theaters. As such, Universal’s decision to release the movie directly on streaming seems like an outdated idea of how studios ᴀssumed the industry would be following the COVID-19 pandemic. This ᴀssumption had already been proven wrong with the success of Alien: Romulus, which itself was originally slated for streaming before receiving a theatrical release. As such, many may expect Universal to take note and learn from this situation.

Our Thoughts On Bridget Jones: Mad About The Boy’s Box Office Success

The Movie Could Be A Strong Note For The Series To End On

With a strong critical response and impressive box-office gross without the lucrative US market, Bridget Jones: Mad About The Boy is undoubtedly a success and a welcome continuation of the franchise’s winning streak following 2016’s Bridget Jones’ Baby. Despite this, the franchise’s future is unclear, given that the fourth installment adapted the last of the currently available novels, with original author Helen Fielding’s next novel reportedly being a new project outside of the Bridget Jones book series. Nevertheless, even without the US theatrical markets’ support, Bridget Jones: Mad About The Boy leaves the franchise with a strong note to leave things on.

Source: ᴅᴇᴀᴅline