<P> Mamma Mia! (promoted as Mamma Mia! The Movie) is a 2008 jukebox musical romantic comedy film directed by Phyllida Lloyd and written by Catherine Johnson based on the 1999 musical of the same name, also written by Johnson, which itself is based on the songs of pop group ABBA, including the title song, with additional music composed by ABBA member Benny Andersson . The film features an ensemble cast, including Meryl Streep, Pierce Brosnan, Colin Firth, Stellan Skarsgård, Julie Walters, Dominic Cooper, Amanda Seyfried and Christine Baranski . The plot follows a young bride - to - be who invites three men to her upcoming wedding, each one with the possibility of being her father . The film was an international co-production between Germany, the United Kingdom, and the United States, and was co-produced by Relativity Media, Playtone and Littlestar Productions . </P> <P> Principal photography primarily took place on the island of Skopelos, Greece from August to September 2007 . The film was distributed by Universal Pictures . Mamma Mia! held its world premiere on June 30, 2008 at Leicester Square in London and premiered on July 4, 2008 in Stockholm, Sweden, with Andersson, Björn Ulvaeus, Anni - Frid Lyngstad and Agnetha Fältskog in attendance . The film was released theatrically on July 10 in the United Kingdom, on July 17 in Germany and on July 18 in the United States . It received mixed reviews from critics, who praised the musical numbers and production values, but criticized the plot and casting of inexperienced singers, in particular Brosnan and Skarsgård . Nonetheless, the film grossed $615 million worldwide on a $52 million budget, becoming the fifth highest - grossing film of 2008 . A sequel, titled Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again, was released on July 20, 2018, with much of the main cast returning . </P> <P> On the Greek island of Kalokairi, 20 - year - old bride - to - be Sophie Sheridan reveals to her bridesmaids, Ali and Lisa, that she has secretly invited three men to her wedding without telling her mother, Donna . They are the men that her mother's diary reveals could have been her father: Irish - American architect Sam Carmichael, Swedish adventurer and writer Bill Anderson, and British banker Harry Bright . She dreams of being given away by her father at her wedding, and believes that after she spends time with them she will know which is her father . </P> <P> Sophie's mother Donna, who owns a villa and runs it not very successfully as a hotel, is ecstatic to reunite with her former Dynamos bandmates, wisecracking author Rosie Mulligan and wealthy multiple divorcée Tanya Chesham - Leigh, and reveals her bafflement at her daughter's desire to get married . Donna shows off the villa to Rosie and Tanya . The three men arrive and Sophie smuggles them to their room . She doesn't reveal that she believes one of them is her father, but does explain that she and not her mother sent the invitations . She begs them to hide so Donna will be surprised by the old friends of whom she "so often" favorably speaks . They overhear Donna working and swear not to reveal Sophie's secret . </P>

Where is mama mia supposed to be set