Irish comedy The Young Offenders passed the €1million mark at the Irish box office last night, October 20th. The Cork-set flick, about two teenagers on a road trip looking for a bail of cocaine after a boat carrying drugs is seized off Cork coast but misplaces one of the bails, has consistently been in the Irish box office top 10 since its release on the 16th September of this year.
The Young Offenders has become the fastest Irish film to break the €1million mark at the Irish box office this year. Next week it will be the highest grossing Irish-made film of the year at the domestic box office, overtaking Sing Street.
The Guard, Calvary and Man About Dog are some of the few Irish comedy films to reach this Irish box office milestone. It has even taken more at the box office than international comedies like Absolutely Fabulous, and blockbusters Independence Day Resurgence and Ghostbusters.
Writer-director Peter Foott said: ‘We are so incredibly grateful to everyone who took the time to go see The Young Offenders. It is the first feature film that myself and most of the cast and crew have made. We all dreamed of getting a cinema release, but getting a million in the box-office is just unbelievable.’
The film previously won Best Irish Feature at the Galway Film Fleadh as well as an Honourable Mention for Best Comedy at the Fantastic Fest in Austin, Texas.
We interviewed Alex Murphy and Chris Walley, who play the leads Jock and Conor, as well as supporting cast members PJ Gallagher and Hillary Rose, and writer –director Peter Foott. Check it out: