Farce is a flop

It was Richard Briers’ last film, amid a host of other comedy cameos, but the film version of the Run For Your Life farce has proved a massive box office flop.

The movie, starring Danny Dyer, took just £602 in its opening weekend.

It was shown in nine cinemas – so garnered an an average of £67 per screen. Preview takings of £320 topped up the income, but keep it in the three-figure bracket.

The film is set to expand to a further 65 cinemas across the UK this week, but the signs are not good.

This version of Ray Cooney’s long-running West End farce stars Dyer as a taxi driver who must prevent his two wives – played by Sarah Harding and Denise Van Outen –  from coming face to face.

Cooney produced the film, while Allo Allo actress Vicki Michelle is the executive producer.

More than 80 celebrities – including Barry Cryer, Rolf Harris, Cliff Richard, Andrew Sachs and June Whitfield –  agreed to make cameo appearances and agreed to donate their fees to charity.

Yet it has been savaged by critics, with Anthony Quinn of The Independent, saying: “It will be lucky to run for nine days. Perhaps never in the field of light entertainment have so many actors sacrificed so much dignity in the cause of so few jokes.’

The Daily Mail's Christopher Tookey said Dyer's performance as a supposedly loveable rogue was ‘as loveable as decomposing roadkill’.

Published: 20 Feb 2013