Wow! From the BBC comes this week’s (projected) surprise box office winner over J-Lo’s stripper and Brad Pitt’s astronaut, it’s

Downton Abbey

From TV series writer, Julian Fellowes, and directed by Michael Engler, Downton Abbey brings back all the regulars from the show, as they deal with a visit by the King and Queen of Great Britain, and all the interpersonal drama that brings with it.

Starring show regulars Michelle Dockery, Maggie Smith, Elizabeth McGovern, Laura Carmichael, Allen Leech, Joanne Froggatt, Raquel Cassidy, Robert James-Collier, Phyllis Logan, Brendan Coyle, Hugh Bonneville, Jim Carter, and Leslie Nicol, fans of the long-running hit series will see all the familiar faces, along with a couple new ones, and Fellowes’ intimate knowledge of the characters ensures a smooth transition from small screen to the large one.

Will the box office success of Downton Abbey usher in a new age of character-driven dramas, perhaps period pieces, a la the heyday of the Merchant-Ivory dramas?

Perhaps.