The film was originally developed with Film 4. They commissioned the screenplay from producer Uberto Pasolini and writer Simon Beaufoy but then opted out of involvement in production.

The film was a box office smash hit, being beaten in UK rankings only by Titanic, released in the same year.

The Full Monty attracted four Academy Award (Oscar) nominations: Best Picture, Best Director, Best Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen, and Best Original Musical or Comedy Score, the latter of which it won.

Tom Jones recorded the vocal track for his cover of You Can Leave Your Hat On for the film's soundtrack in one afternoon whilst on tour, in Newcastle.

The final scene was filmed in multiple segments, culminating in a single-take final shot where all six stars revealed "the full monty" for real in front of some 400 extras, cast and crew.

The second weekend of the film's cinema release coincided with the death of Princess Diana. Whilst all other films suffered a drastic drop in takings, The Full Monty sustained its audience.

The success of the film was such that supermarket chain Tesco requested distributors Fox to license and produce ever greater ranges of merchandise.