The Favourite

For other uses, see The Favorite (disambiguation).

The Favourite
UK theatrical release poster
Directed byYorgos Lanthimos
Written by
Produced by
  • Ceci Dempsey
  • Ed Guiney
  • Lee Magiday
  • Yorgos Lanthimos
Starring
CinematographyRobbie Ryan
Edited byYorgos Mavropsaridis
Production
companies
Distributed byFox Searchlight Pictures[1]
Release dates
  • 30 August 2018 (2018-08-30) (Venice)[2]
  • 23 November 2018 (2018-11-23) (United States)
  • 1 January 2019 (2019-01-01) (Ireland and United Kingdom)
Running time
120 minutes[3]
Countries
  • Ireland[4]
  • United Kingdom[4]
  • United States[4]
LanguageEnglish
Budget$15 million[5]
Box office$95.9 million[6][7]

The Favourite is a 2018 satirical[8] absurdist[9] period dark comedy film directed by Yorgos Lanthimos, and written by Deborah Davis and Tony McNamara. A co-production between Ireland, the United Kingdom, and the United States, the film stars Olivia Colman, Emma Stone, and Rachel Weisz. Set in early 18th century Great Britain, it examines the relationship between cousins Sarah Churchill, Duchess of Marlborough, and Abigail Hill, who will become Baroness Masham as the action progresses, as they vie to be court favourite of Queen Anne.

Principal photography took place at Hatfield House in Hertfordshire and at Hampton Court Palace, lasting from March to May 2017. The film premiered on 30 August 2018 at the 75th Venice International Film Festival, where it won the Grand Jury Prize and the Volpi Cup for Best Actress for Colman. It was released theatrically in the United States on 23 November 2018 by Fox Searchlight Pictures, and in Ireland and the United Kingdom on 1 January 2019. The film was a box office success, grossing $95 million worldwide on a $15 million budget.

The Favourite received widespread critical acclaim, with particular praise drawn to Lanthimos's direction, the screenplay and performances of Colman, Weisz and Stone, and it won or was nominated for numerous awards, including ten Academy Award nominations, tying Roma for the most nominations of any film at that year's ceremony. It won ten British Independent Film Awards, seven BAFTA Awards, and eight European Film Awards, and Colman won Best Actress at each of those ceremonies, as well as the Academy Awards, the Golden Globes, and others. The American Film Institute named The Favourite one of the top ten films of 2018 and since its release, it has been assessed as one of the best films of the 21st century.[10][11]

  1. ^ a b c d e f "Film releases". Variety Insight. Archived from the original on 21 October 2018. Retrieved 12 July 2018.
  2. ^ "The Favourite – Film Review (Venice Film Festival 2018)". Filmoria. 6 September 2018. Archived from the original on 18 September 2018. Retrieved 18 September 2018.
  3. ^ "The Favourite". Venice International Film Festival 2018. 16 July 2018. Archived from the original on 25 July 2018. Retrieved 25 July 2018.
  4. ^ a b c "The Favourite (2018)". AllMovie. Archived from the original on 13 July 2018. Retrieved 12 July 2018.
  5. ^ Cite error: The named reference HWR_gnder was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ "The Favourite (2018)". Box Office Mojo. Archived from the original on 2 February 2019. Retrieved 12 April 2019.
  7. ^ "The Favourite". The Numbers. Retrieved 12 April 2019.
  8. ^ Sims, David (23 November 2018). "'The Favourite' Is a Deliciously Nasty Satire of Royal-Court Intrigue". The Atlantic. Retrieved 30 August 2024.
  9. ^ Lanier, Alison (30 November 2018). "THE ABSURD GRACE OF THE FAVOURITE". Atticus Review. Retrieved 30 August 2024.
  10. ^ "Hollywood Reporter Critics Pick the 50 Best Films of the 21st Century (So Far)". The Hollywood Reporter. 6 April 2023.
  11. ^ "The 100 best films of the 21st century (So far)". 6 February 2022.