PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN - GREEK BOX OFFICE ANYTHING BUT SPARTAN

There are no theaters in Thermopylae, the site of the ancient battle depicted in Warner Bros.' 300, but theaters elsewhere in Greece have been packed since the movie's opening weekend, when a record 325,000 tickets were sold (far exceeding the previous record of 220,000 set last year by Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest). They have now topped one million -- meaning almost 10 percent of the Greek population has already seen 300. The Associated Press reported that although Greek critics -- like their American counterparts -- denounced the film, moviegoers have lapped it up. In Thermopylae itself, A.P. said, most villagers haven't seen it because the closest theater is an hour's drive away, but they're proud of its worldwide success nonetheless.

27/03/2007