Box office of the leading 18-rated films of all time in the United Kingdom (UK) 2019

The most successful 18-rated film of all time in the United Kingdom, as of February 2019, was Fifty Shades of Grey. The erotic drama came out in 2015, and since then has accumulated 35 million British pounds at the box office, despite receiving mainly negative reviews. Although the film did well compared to other 18-rated movies, it does not appear on the list of the most successful films of all time in the UK.

Whipping up a frenzy at the box office

The film Fifty Shades of Grey was based on a book that had originally been written by E. L. James as fan fiction for Twilight. In 2017, the sequel Fifty Shades Darker was released in cinemas, another 18-rated film which also did well at the box office. 

Rated 18

In the UK, age ratings are given by the British Board of Film Classification (BBFC), an independent regulator set up to help guide people in choosing age-appropriate films. The rating “18” is the highest classification given to films at cinemas that do not have a special license allowing them to show “Restricted 18” films.