Post by Taxigirl on Nov 25, 2003 11:00:04 GMT
Comedy adventure The Cat in the Hat has gone straight to the top of the US box office chart in its opening weekend.
The adaptation of Dr Seuss' children's book, starring Mike Myers, earned $40.1m (£23.5m) during its first three days despite receiving poor reviews.
Gothika, a thriller starring Halle Berry as a criminal psychologist accused of murder, went straight in at two with takings of $19.6m (£11.4m).
Christmas comedy Elf, which topped last week's US chart, fell to three.
The Cat in the Hat cost $109m (£63.9m) to produce, with first-time director Bo Welch, a respected production designer, at the helm.
Abomination
Critics were less than taken with the family movie, with the Wall Street Journal calling it an "abomination, impure and simple".
Entertainment Weekly dubbed it "the ultimate bad day at Disney World".
Undeterred, Universal's president of distribution Nikki Rocco hit back asking "do you know anyone under 12 who reads reviews?".
The previous adaptation of a Dr Seuss book, How the Grinch Stole Christmas, took $55.1m (£32.3m) in its opening weekend in 2000.
Russell Crowe's sea-faring adventure Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World fell two places to number four. Its $15.2m (£8.9m) weekend takings took its total to $47.3m (£27.7m).
British comedy Love Actually, starring Hugh Grant and Emma Thompson, rose one place to number five, with $9.1m (£5.3m), as it opened on more screens around the country.