UK Box Office Information 21st-23rd March 08

Easter bank holiday has been and gone quicker than you can say "4 days off work" and competition amongst the Easter films was fierce with not 1, not 2, but 6 new openings.



They were no match however for a big grey elephant named Horton in Horton Hears A Who (20th Century Fox) which took the 1st place spot with £2.9m (including previews). Horton hears a what I hear you ask? Well, Horton is an elephant (voiced by Jim Carrey) living in the jungle of Nool who believes he hears voices emerging from a speck on the surface of a flower. As it happens, there is in fact a community living on the speck in the town of Whoville, and it is the slightly skittish mayor of the Whos (voiced by Steve Carrell), with his 96 children who hears the voice of Horton from above. As no one else believes Horton can hear voices from the speck, it is up to him to transport the flower, and said speck, to a safe place however his journey across the jungle has catastrophic affects on the town of Whoville including snow, darkness and wind.

If a talking elephant and Whos didn't whet your appetite this weekend then maybe you were one of the many who went to see The Spiderwick Chronicles (Paramount) which opened in 2nd place with £2.6m (including previews). Based on the book of the same name, the story follows Mallory (Sarah Bolger) and her twin brothers Jared and Simon Grace (both played by Freddie Highmore) as they leave New York and head to the country during their parents' divorce. They arrive at their aunt's rundown house and after hearing a noise in one of the walls, one of the boys breaks open a secret section revealing a long forgotten attic room (with dust and all!) in which he finds the Spiderwick Chronicles - a book written by his great uncle concerning a magical world beyond reality. No one believes the book until creatures of all sorts start appearing and fighting for the book, even if it means destroying the Grace family in the process (ooooh aaaaah).

In 2006 we were given the dance sensation that was Step Up. Teen girls around the country hop, skipped and jumped their way to the cinemas to see the story of disadvantaged Tyler and the privileged dancer Nora who found themselves paired up in a showcase that forced them to work together and overcome their differences. Well, Step Up 2 The Streets (Universal) had them flocking to the cinemas again as it opened in 3rd place this weekend with £2.4m, giving it the 5th highest opening weekend of the year so far. This time around, rebellious street dancer Andie (Briana Evigan) lands at the elite Maryland School of the Arts and finds herself fighting to fit in, whilst also trying to hold onto her old life. By joining forces with the school's hottest dancer to form a crew of classmate outcasts to compete in Baltimore's underground dance battle - The Streets, she ultimately finds a way to live her dream, while building a bridge between her two separate worlds. It's totally dance-tastic!!!

If you've ever sat back and wondered "What ever happened to little Tegs from Grange Hill?", wonder no more as he appears in little more than leather y-fronts for Meet The Spartans (20th Century Fox) which opened in 4th place this weekend with £1.1m. Brought to us by the makers of Epic Movie, and Date Movie, Meet The Spartans is a spoof of last year's successful 300 and includes nods to Shrek, American Idol, Britney Spears, Paris Hilton, Deal or No Deal, Ugly Betty, Donald Trump, Transformers, and Borat to name but a few. As well as an appearance by Carmen Electra, Borat's right-hand man Azamat Bogatov (better known as Ken Davitan) also stars.

Tipped to be one of this year's biggest Bollywood films, Race (UTV Comm,) opened in 9th place this weekend with £366k. Set in South Africa, Race is about betrayal and greed, intrigue and revenge, as two brothers who live on the edge of their life, come face to face.

The last new entry into the chart comes from one of Mexico's best exports as Guillermo Del Toro produces The Orphanage (Optimum). Opening in 10th place with £329k including previews, the film tells the story of a woman who brings her family back to her childhood home with the intention of opening an orphanage for handicapped children. Before long, her son starts to communicate with an invisible new friend and strange going-ons start to happen. Be advised to watch this with the lights on!!

Interesting film fact of the week: The Orphanage was Spain's official submission into the Best Foreign Language Film Category at the 80th Annual Academy Awards.

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