Paddington 2 becomes best reviewed film ever

In the lineup of the most critically acclaimed films, Citizen Kane and The Godfather have been bested by a bear from “darkest” Peru. The aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes has declared Paddington 2 to be the best reviewed film in the site’s history.

The comedy – which is directed by the British film-maker Paul King and stars Hugh Grant, Sally Hawkins and Hugh Bonneville, – has received 164 consecutive positive reviews from critics.

Rotten Tomatoes classifies reviews of a film as either “fresh” or “rotten” and awards a percentage rating based on its aggregate score. The website had previously declared another film, Greta Gerwig’s comedy-drama Lady Bird, to be the best reviewed ever after it overtook a record long held by Toy Story 2. But Lady Bird later received a negative review, breaking its positive streak and losing its “best reviewed” crown.

Paddington 2, which was released in UK cinemas in November, has also proved popular with audiences. To date, the film has earned £41m at the British box office and more than £101m worldwide.


However, Paddington 2 has some way to go before it outdoes its predecessor film, which earned more than £190m globally.