‘Mad About The Boy’

The highly anticipated fourth segment of the Bridget Jones franchise, ‘Bridget Jones: Mad About The Boy’, is already making waves at the box office, surpassing the block-busting Barbie movie in pre-sale ticket numbers.

Starring Renée Zellweger as the beloved Bridget, it was first released in France on February 12, in the United States on the streaming service Peacock today, February 13, and internationally in cinemas by Universal Pictures on Valentine’s Day, February 14^, 2025.

Bridget Jones film breaking pre-sale records

According to The Sun, cinema chain Odeon has reported that more than 150,000 tickets have already been sold across the UK, with over half of these booked for Valentine’s Day screenings. Vue Cinemas’ Eduardo Leal stated that pre-sales have even exceeded those of Barbie, which grossed £18.4 million (€21.5 million) in its opening weekend in British cinemas.

Robert Mitchell of Gower Street Analytics told The Sun, “We’re anticipating it to be one of the biggest titles of the year in the UK, the biggest British film of the year, and the biggest box office for the first half of 2025.”

Bridget Jones: Mad About The Boy plot summary and cast details: No spoilers included!

Based on Helen Fielding’s novel, the film picks up after the tragic death of Mark Darcy (played by Colin Firth), as Bridget navigates life as a widow with two young children. She finds herself torn between two love interests: Roxster (Leo Woodall), a much younger biochemistry student, and Mr. Wallaker (Chiwetel Ejiofor), a science teacher at her children’s school. The film also sees the return of Hugh Grant as the infamous Daniel Cleaver and Emma Thompson reprising her role as Dr. Rawlings.

New Bridget Jones movie has mixed reviews from critics

While the film is generating strong ticket sales, critical reviews have been mixed. The Telegraph gave the film a five-star review, calling it the best of the series, while The Daily Mail’s Brian Viner described it as the “best since the original.” Empire also praised it as a “charming return for Bridget” with a strong emotional depth. The Hollywood Reporter noted that Renée Zellweger’s performance particularly stands out, bringing “depth of feeling” to Bridget’s grief and gradual recovery.

However, The Guardian was less impressed, rating it just two stars and claiming the franchise had “run out of steam,” criticising a lack of chemistry between Zellweger and her two male leads. The Evening Standard echoed this sentiment, suggesting that Bridget should “go into retirement.”

Despite mixed reviews, audience anticipation remains high. Odeon boss Suzie Welch remarked, “We are eagerly anticipating a fantastic opening weekend. It’s lovely to see how excited fans are to welcome Bridget back.” With its Valentine’s Day launch and a devoted fan base, ‘Bridget Jones: Mad About The Boy’ is set to become one of the most successful British films of the year.

I’ll certainly be watching it as I’m a fan of all three movies so far. Will you be watching the new Bridget Jones movie? Let us know in the comments below.