This article was originally published by Big Picture Film Club and written by Josh Greally.
The UK box office has enjoyed a strong year so far. The combined takings of the top 10 highest-grossing films of 2019 (at the time of writing) total approximately £388,967,274, according to Box Office Mojo and currency conversion sources. Below is a look at how the current top 10 stands, which films have earned the most in the UK to date, and how critics and audiences have responded.
10. The Secret Life of Pets 2 – £19,570,258
Illumination’s follow-up to the surprise hit animated franchise performed solidly at the box office, even if reviews were mixed. Families still flocked to see the familiar characters and new antics brought to the screen.
Audience reception: 90% (Rotten Tomatoes) / 6.6 (IMDb)
Critical reception: “A sequel that feels less necessary than willed into being, but that doesn’t mean it’s not pleasantly entertaining.”
9. How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World – £21,219,615
The final chapter in DreamWorks’ beloved trilogy closed the story on an emotional note. While it didn’t match the box office heights of earlier entries, it maintained strong approval from both viewers and many critics.
Audience reception: 87% (Rotten Tomatoes) / 7.6 (IMDb)
Critical reception: “Who would have thought that DreamWorks’ ‘How To Train Your Dragon’ would end up as one of the best film trilogies out there?”
8. Rocketman – £23,572,360
Rocketman, the musical biopic of Elton John, followed the pattern set by recent music biopics and became a notable hit in the UK. Its stylized approach and strong central performance helped it resonate with audiences.
Audience reception: 88% (Rotten Tomatoes) / 7.6 (IMDb)
Critical reception: “Rocketman is an honest, heartfelt tribute to Elton John’s music and his public image.”
7. Dumbo (2019) – £26,964,177
Disney’s live-action remake of Dumbo earned respectable ticket sales, but it divided viewers. Many found the remake’s departures from the original story left it feeling less satisfying than expected.
Audience reception: 51% (Rotten Tomatoes) / 6.4 (IMDb)
Critical reception: “The problem with this latest entry in Disney’s ever-expanding range of recycled classics isn’t that it hews too close to the original, but that its many departures only muddle the original’s simplicity.”
6. Spider-Man: Far From Home – £31,524,501
The latest entry in the Marvel Cinematic Universe delivered the mix of humour, action and character moments fans expect. It successfully balanced its lighter tone with the fallout from the wider MCU, pleasing both general audiences and many reviewers.
Audience reception: 95% (Rotten Tomatoes) / 7.9 (IMDb)
Critical reception: “It’s not quite the home-run of Homecoming, but Far From Home isn’t far from matching it, with heaps of humour, energetic action, and the answers Endgame left you craving.”
5. Aladdin (2019) – £37,496,448
Aladdin was a clear crowd-pleaser, drawing strong audience approval even as critics remained divided over aspects like casting choices and visual effects. The film’s musical numbers and colourful production helped drive its box office success.
Audience reception: 94% (Rotten Tomatoes) / 7.4 (IMDb)
Critical reception: “Another lavish and largely entertaining Disney re-do, with strong turns from Massoud and Scott. But…Smith’s genie performance feels disappointingly constrained — both by overdependence on the original and some ghastly CGI.”
4. The Lion King (2019) – £37,816,339
Disney’s photorealistic reimagining of The Lion King proved to be one of the year’s biggest performers in the UK. It drew large audiences quickly and sparked considerable debate about the merits of its visual style and fidelity to the original.
Audience reception: 88% (Rotten Tomatoes) / 7.2 (IMDb)
Critical reception: “Unfolding like the world’s longest and least convincing deepfake, the new ‘Lion King’ fatally misunderstands what once made Disney special.”
3. Captain Marvel – £42,632,688
Captain Marvel demonstrated the enduring box office power of the MCU despite mixed reactions from critics and a divided audience response. As a tentpole release, it still drew strong ticket sales and added to the franchise’s momentum.
Audience reception: 55% (Rotten Tomatoes) / 7.0 (IMDb)
Critical reception: “Captain Marvel is a solid enough movie, but it suffers from an overbearing need for its agenda to be pushed — had it been handled with a little more care, it could have been fantastic.”
2. Toy Story 4 – £53,611,537
Nine years after Toy Story 3, Toy Story 4 returned to theatres with fresh ideas and emotional depth. The sequel was widely praised for its storytelling and character work, reaffirming the franchise’s reputation for quality family entertainment.
Audience reception: 94% (Rotten Tomatoes) / 8.2 (IMDb)
Critical reception: “This franchise has demonstrated an impressive ability to beat the odds and reinvent itself… It’s a toy store of ideas, with new wonders in every aisle.”
1. Avengers: Endgame – £94,559,351
Topping the list is Avengers: Endgame, the culmination of over a decade of storytelling in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The film became a cultural event, delivering the emotional payoffs audiences had been waiting for and becoming the highest-grossing title of the year in the UK at the time.
Audience reception: 91% (Rotten Tomatoes) / 8.7 (IMDb)
Critical reception: “Avengers: Endgame is all that you hope it’ll be and then some. The Russo brothers hit all the right notes from start to finish, and the ending in particular is thoroughly satisfying.”
That completes the UK box office top 10 so far this year. With major releases such as IT: Chapter 2 and Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker still to come, the final year-end rankings could shift further and may even surpass last year’s combined top 10 gross of approximately £523,006,040. Time will tell which films will climb higher on the list.
Written by Josh Greally
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