Pirate Radio (2009)

The Boat That Rocked (titled Pirate Radio in North America) is a 2009 comedy-drama written and directed by Richard Curtis about pirate radio in the United Kingdom during the 1960s. The film has an ensemble cast consisting of Philip Seymour Hoffman, Bill Nighy, Rhys Ifans, Nick Frost and Kenneth Branagh. Set in 1966, it tells the story of the fictional pirate radio station "Radio Rock" and its crew of eclectic disc jockeys, who broadcast rock and pop music to the United Kingdom from a ship anchored in the North Sea while the British government tries to shut them down. It was produced by Working Title Films for Universal Pictures and was filmed on the Isle of Portland and at Shepperton Studios.

After the world premiere in Leicester Square on 23 March 2009, the film was released theatrically in the United Kingdom and Ireland on 1 April 2009. It was a commercial failure at the British box office making only US$10.1 million in its first three months, just a fifth of its US$50 million production cost. It received mixed reviews and criticism for its length. For its North American release, the film was cut by 20 minutes and retitled Pirate Radio. Opening on 13 November 2009, its worldwide cinema run finished in January 2010; the film had grossed US$36.6 million.