Box office
In its opening weekend, the film was at number one at the US box office, grossing $11,280,591 and averaging $8,513 per theater.[30][31] Despite dropping to number two in its second weekend, it grossed more with $12,471,670.[31] It returned to number one at the US box office in its sixth weekend and was number one for three weeks. It was in the Top 10 movies in the US for 16 weeks.[31] In Australia, it was number one for 12 weeks and was number one for nine consecutive weeks in the UK. As of September 29, 2009, it has grossed $178,406,268 in the United States and $285,000,000 in other countries for a total worldwide gross of US$463,406,268.[3] It was the fourth highest-grossing film of the year in the United States and Canada[32] and the third highest-grossing worldwide.[33] The film was Disney's highest-grossing film ever, surpassing Three Men and a Baby, and remains Disney's highest-grossing R-rated release.[34][35][36]
Critical response
On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes the film holds an approval rating of 65% based on 77 reviews, with an average rating of 6.0/10. The website's critical consensus states, "Pretty Woman may be a yuppie fantasy, but the film's slick comedy, soundtrack, and casting can overcome misgivings."[37] On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 51 out of 100, based on 18 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews."[38] Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "A" on an A+ to F scale.[39]
Owen Gleiberman of Entertainment Weekly gave the film a "D," saying it "starts out as a neo-Pygmalion comedy" and with "its tough-hooker heroine, it can work as a feminist version of an upscale princess fantasy." Gleiberman also said it "pretends to be about how love transcends money," but "is really obsessed with status symbols."[40] On its twentieth anniversary, Gleiberman wrote another article, saying that while he felt he was right, he would have given it a "B" today.[41] Carina Chocano of The New York Times said the movie "wasn't a love story, it was a money story. Its logic depended on a disconnect between character and narrative, between image and meaning, between money and value, and that made it not cluelessly traditional but thoroughly postmodern."[42] Roberts would later say in a 2019 interview that she believes that the film would not be made today.[43]
Accolades
| Award | Category | Nominee(s) | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Academy Awards[44] | Best Actress | Julia Roberts | Nominated |
| BMI Film & TV Awards | Film Music Award | James Newton Howard | Won |
| Most Performed Song from a Film | "It Must Have Been Love" – Per Gessle | Won | |
| British Academy Film Awards[45] | Best Film | Arnon Milchan, Steven Reuther and Garry Marshall | Nominated |
| Best Actress in a Leading Role | Julia Roberts | Nominated | |
| Best Screenplay – Original | J. F. Lawton | Nominated | |
| Best Costume Design | Marilyn Vance | Nominated | |
| César Awards | Best Foreign Film | Garry Marshall | Nominated |
| David di Donatello Awards | Best Foreign Actress | Julia Roberts | Nominated |
| Golden Globe Awards[46] | Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy | Nominated | |
| Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy | Julia Roberts | Won | |
| Best Actor in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy | Richard Gere | Nominated | |
| Best Supporting Actor – Motion Picture | Hector Elizondo | Nominated | |
| Golden Screen Awards | Won | ||
| Jupiter Awards | Best International Actress | Julia Roberts | Won |
| Kids' Choice Awards | Favorite Movie Actress | Won | |
| People's Choice Awards | Favorite Comedy Motion Picture | Won | |
| Writers Guild of America Awards[47] | Best Screenplay – Written Directly for the Screen | J. F. Lawton | Nominated |
American Film Institute
- AFI's 100 Years... 100 Passions – #21[48]
