Keira Knightley Turns 40: Revisiting the box office success and enduring pop culture influence of her most celebrated film, Pride and Prejudice

The beautiful Keira Knightley is celebrating her 40th birthday today, and we are joining in the celebration by revisiting the box office performance and pop culture influence of her most popular film, Pride and Prejudice.

For those unversed in the film, it came out in 2005 and co-starred Matthew Macfadyen. Based on Jane Austen’s eponymous novel, the feature followed five sisters from an English family as they dealt with issues of marriage, morality, and misconceptions in the Regency era. Knightley played Elizabeth Bennet in the beloved offering, while Macfadyen played Mr. Darcy, her bewitched lover.

Screenwriter Deborah Moggach reportedly initially attempted to keep the script close to Austen’s work but eventually opted to write from Elizabeth’s perspective while still preserving much of the original narrative. The period drama was shot entirely on location in England on an 11-week schedule. The palace featured in the film remains a massive tourist attraction to this date.

Regarding the film’s casting, while Knightley was a sure choice for her role given her illustrious résumé, which included her work in Pirates of the Caribbean, Macfadyen had to prove his worth. He did that, and we got to witness the most fawned-over romantic tale of recent times. We are sure you must have come across the very viral hand-flex scene of the actor from the film at least once on social media.

Judi Dench, Donald Sutherland, Brenda Blethyn, Rosamund Pike, and more rounded out Pride and Prejudice’s ensemble.

Released on September 16 in the aforementioned year, Pride and Prejudice went on to earn USD 121.6 million worldwide on a budget of USD 28 million.

Besides its commercial success, it also garnered critical acclaim with multiple coveted award nominations, including a Best Actress Academy Award nod for a 20-year-old Knightley. The actress became the third-youngest contender in the category at the time.

To celebrate the film’s 20th anniversary this year, Focus Features is re-releasing it for a limited engagement on April 20. In addition to the theatrical re-release, the studio is also partnering with Decca Records to release the vinyl of the film’s soundtrack. We also hear limited-edition merchandise will be made available.

Tickets for the special run are now on sale. We highly recommend experiencing the magic of one of the greatest romance films ever made in theaters for those who have not. And we trust old fans to take a trip to the cinemas to relive the nostalgia of it all.