Pride (2014 film)

Pride premiered at the 2014 Cannes Film Festival, where it received a standing ovation and won the Queer Palm award.[7] The film was also screened at the 2014 Toronto International Film Festival, with the Washington Post reporting that Pride was "hugely popular with preview and festival audiences".[8] It was released to cinemas throughout the UK on 12 September 2014.[9] In France, the film received its release on 17 September.[10] The film was distributed by Pathé in the UK and France, with the title being distributed through Pathé's British distribution partner 20th Century Fox.[11] CBS Films acquired the distribution rights for the film in the United States.[12]

The film received a limited release in the US on 26 September 2014, being screened in New York City, Los Angeles and San Francisco.[13][14]

In the UK, the film received a 15 certificate by the British Board of Film Classification for "occasional strong language" and two scenes of a sexual nature,[15] one scene in a gay club where men are depicted "wearing 'bondage' clothing",[15] and a comedic scene where some of the characters discover a pornographic magazine in a bedroom.[15] The MPAA gave the film an R rating, the nearest US equivalent to the UK's 15 certificate. (This reflects common practice; the British Film Institute states that "most" 15 certificate films are R-rated in the US.[16]) The Independent published an article calling the MPAA's rating "draconian",[15] alleging that the R rating's higher age restriction ("no unaccompanied under-17s") was specifically applied due to gay content. The Independent's article formed the basis for a Guardian article[17] which further compounded the issue by mistakenly stating that the MPAA had given the film an NC-17 rating. This error was corrected a few days later.

In January 2015, it was reported that the cover of the US DVD release of the film makes no mention of the gay content. A standard description of "a London-based group of gay and lesbian activists" was reduced to "a group of London-based activists", and a lesbian and gay banner was removed from a photograph on the back cover.[18]

In its opening weekend Pride took £718,778 at the UK box office.[19] The film was the third highest-grossing release of the weekend, behind Lucy in second place and The Boxtrolls, which debuted at the top of the box office.[19] During its second weekend at the UK box office Pride retained its third-place position on the charts, with takings of £578,794.[20] The Guardian reported that the film had a drop of just 12% in takings during its second weekend at the box office, as well as a strong weekday performance at the box office, commenting: "After a somewhat shaky start, Matthew Warchus' film is displaying signs of solid traction with audiences."[21] In its third weekend at the UK box office, Pride dropped to sixth in the charts with takings of £400,247 over the weekend period.[22] By its fourth weekend Pride had dropped to tenth place in the box office, with takings of £248,654 and an overall UK gross totalling £3,265,317.[23]

In the US, Pride grossed £84,800 from six theatres in its opening weekend.[24] The film expanded slowly, adding theatres in existing markets for its second weekend followed by release in additional cities from 10 October.[24]

Pride was met with critical acclaim. The review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes reported that 92% of critics surveyed gave the film a positive review, based on a sample of 127 reviews, with an average score of 7.6 out of 10; the consensus on the film reads: "Earnest without being didactic and uplifting without stooping to sentimentality, Pride is a joyous crowd-pleaser that genuinely works."[25] Metacritic gave the film an aggregate score of 79/100 based on 36 reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews."[26]

Geoffrey Macnab, of The Independent, noted how Pride followed on from other British films such as The Full Monty, Brassed Off and Billy Elliot as "a story set in a Britain whose industrial base is being shattered".[27] Macnab, who gave the film a five-star review, praised the screenplay for combining "broad comedy with subtle observation", and noted that director Matthew Warchus "relishes visual contrasts and jarring juxtapositions" throughout the film.[27] Macnab's review stated that Pride retained its humour and accessibility without trivialising the issues addressed in the film.

Peter Bradshaw, reviewing for The Guardian, described the film as "impassioned and lovable".[28] Bradshaw praised performances of the cast, including Bill Nighy's "taciturn shyness" in his portrayal as Cliff and the "dignified and intelligent performance" from Paddy Considine as Dai.[28] Imelda Staunton's performance as Hefina Headon, who died in October 2013,[29] was met with positive reviews by critics. Geoffrey Macnab said Staunton's performance as the matriarchal Hefina was "part Mother Courage and part Hilda Ogden".[27] Ben Schnetzer's performance as Mark Ashton drew positive reviews. Charlotte O'Sullivan, writing for the London Evening Standard, said: "Schnetzer is a New Yorker with an unpromising CV (he was one of the few good things about The Book Thief) and he's fantastic here".[30]

Paul Byrnes in The Sydney Morning Herald described the film as "dry, surprising, compassionate, politically savvy, emotionally rewarding and stacked to the gills with great actors doing solid work".[31]

Nigel Andrews, writing for the Financial Times, gave the film one star out of five, describing it as "a parade of tricks, tropes and tritenesses, designed to keep its balance for two hours atop a political correctness unicycle".[32] Andrews' review read, "Nothing in modern history is more amazing than the cultural rebranding of the UK miners’ strike as a heroic crusade, rather than a Luddite last stand for (inter alia) union demagoguery, greenhouse gas and emphysema."[32] A letter to the Financial Times in response to Andrews argued that the film underlined Arthur Scargill's "intransigence" during the strike.[33]