Parasite becomes UK’s highest ever grossing foreign language film

Best Picture winner has beaten the previous record-holder from more than two decades ago

Oscar-winning South Korean thriller Parasite has become the highest-grossing foreign language film of all time in the UK.

The film, directed by Bong Joon Ho, overtook the previous record-holder, Mel Gibson’s The Passion of the Christ.

Distributor Curzon Artificial Eye confirmed on Twitter that Parasite surpassed the £11.1m made by the 2004 Biblical epic.

Parasite was the surprise winner of Best Picture and Best Director at this year’s Academy Awards ceremony.

The acclaimed film tells the story of a family of low-income workers who ingratiate themselves with a far wealthier family.

After the Oscars, Parasite was given an upgraded UK release, showing in more than 400 sites across the country.

It was the first foreign language film to ever take home the Academy’s biggest honour.

While Parasite’s win was heralded as a commendable response to last year’s much-slated Green Book victory, the 2020 Oscar night was almost completely free of incident, with the ceremony ranking as the least-watched in history.