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Paddington 2 Director Speaks Out On His Film Beating Citizen Kane On Rotten Tomatoes

Paul King isn't getting carried away, but he knows Paddington 2 is a masterpiece.

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Paul King, director of Paddington 2--the greatest film of all time according to Rotten Tomatoes and me--has spoken out on his film toppling Citizen Kane on the review aggregate website. Both films previously had a 100% Fresh rating on the service, but a single negative review from around 80 years ago has knocked Citizen Kane down to 99%.

"It's extremely lovely to be on any list which includes Citizen Kane, but it is obviously quite an eccentric list that goes from Citizen Kane to Paddington 2, so I'll try not to take it too seriously," King told The Hollywood Reporter. He also said he is not building his Xanadu yet, referencing Kane's mansion from Orson Welles' classic film, and joked that with today's technology, Welles could probably make something "nearly as good" as his bear-starring sequel.

Citizen Kane was not-so-secretly, and loosely, based on the life of newspaper tycoon William Randolph Hearst, but because Hearst banned mentioning or reviewing the film in his own papers, he wasn't responsible for the negative review that sullied Citizen Kane's score. That came via the Chicago Tribune, a rival paper to Hearst's Chicago Examiner.

Paddington 2 received stronger reviews than the first movie, which was also met with a positive--and perhaps slightly surprised--reception. Ben Whishaw has voiced the titular bear in both films as well as an animated series, despite the original actually being filmed with Colin Firth in the lead role. Firth voluntarily departed when the production team agreed his voice wasn't right for the little Peruvian immigrant bear, and Whishaw's casting was clearly a smart move. The little bear himself even took to Twitter to discuss the recent news.

Paddington 3 is currently in development, though King's schedule doesn't permit him to take up full directing duties and he'll contribute creatively in a different way. Anyone who disapproves of Paddington 2's status as the undisputed greatest film of all time will be met with a hard stare.

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