FRED CLAUS - CLAUS CROWNED TOP OF U.K. BOX OFFICE CHART

CLAUS CROWNED TOP OF U.K. BOX OFFICE CHART

Seasonal comedy FRED CLAUS has worked its Christmas magic on U.K. cinema-goers to debut at the top of the box office charts. The movie, which stars Vince Vaughn with Paul Giamatti as Father Christmas, took $3.86 million (GBP1.93 million) in its opening weekend (30Nov-02Dec07), leaving action thriller Hitman in second with takings of $2.48 million (GBP1.24 million). The production tells the tale of Santa Claus' wayward brother, who requires his famous sibling's help after being released from prison. Last week's number one, American Gangster, dropped to number three after holding the top slot for a fortnight, while Beowulf and Stardust fell to fourth and fifth place respectively. The only other new entry was Brad Pitt's movie The Assassination of Jesse James By The Coward Robert Ford at 10.