PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN - GREEKS LOVE 300

The Greeks love the Hollywood retelling of one of their most famous ancient battles - even though local critics have slammed the film. War epic 300, which recreates the Battle of Thermopylae between a small Spartan army and the nation of Persia, has broken box office records throughout Greece, as movie fans flocked to see what Tinseltown had made of their ancient history. The bloody film had an opening weekend in Greece with 325,000 ticket sales - over 100,000 more than seats sold for PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: DEAD MAN'S CHEST, which set a new record last year (06). The famous battle was staged on Greek soil in 480 B.C. and has been slated by film critics and historians alike for moments of gross inaccuracy. The film is now on course to become the Greek islands' biggest film - passing ticket sales of 2005's local favourite LOUFA KAI PARALLAGI: SIRINES STO EGEO (corr). 300 is already showing at 70 screens in Athens alone, while rural cinemas have added midnight screenings to cope with demand. The film has grossed more than $162 million (GBP83 million) in the US alone and is the world's current number one movie.