COLIN FARRELL - FARRELL REACHES NEW HOLLYWOOD HEIGHTS

Irish actor COLIN FARRELL has firmly established his name on the Hollywood A-list - his new movie PHONE BOOTH has landed the top spot on the box office charts.

The film - about a man, played by Farrell, trapped in a phone booth by a sniper - rang up $15 million (GBP10 million) in ticket sales in America over the weekend (05/06APR03).

Teen flick WHAT A GIRL WANTS - starring AMANDA BYNES as an outgoing American reunited with her stifling British dad - opened in second place with $12.1 million (GBP8 million).

VIN DIESEL action tale A MAN APART - about a rogue federal agent battling a Mexican drug cartel - premiered at Number three, taking $11.2 million (GBP7.5 million).

Hollywood remains in a box office slump, with the top 12 movies grossing a total of $84 million (GBP56 million) - down 10 per cent from the same weekend a year ago (APR02).

Studio executives claim the war in Iraq might be dampening the moviegoing mood, with cinema-goers choosing to stay at home to watch the televised coverage of the conflict instead.