Dancing penguins top box office in festive season

Top dollar....Happy Feet.

Christine Sams, Entertainment Reporter

The Sun-Herald, Sydney

December 31, 2006

HAPPY Feet is the coolest film of the holiday season, raking in more than $4.4 million in box office takings since its opening on Boxing Day.

The animated film, directed by George Miller and featuring the voices of stars including Nicole Kidman and Hugh Jackman (with Elijah Wood in the main role), has attracted huge holiday crowds at NSW cinemas.

But the loveable story about penguins in Antarctica will have to maintain a mighty momentum to conquer the popularity of James Bond film Casino Royale.

Despite the onslaught of fresh Boxing Day arrivals, including Ben Stiller's A Night At The Museum and the romantic comedy The Holiday - starring Cameron Diaz and Kate Winslet - Casino Royale maintained the No. 2 position in box office takings last week. The film, starring Daniel Craig, has earned more than $575 million globally in three weeks.

But it is the animated penguins that have made their mark on the big screen since the opening of Happy Feet on Tuesday.

"Crowds have been growing steadily since Boxing Day," said a spokeswoman at Greater Union, Campbelltown.

Stiller's film - which centres on the story of museum displays coming to life at night - came in at No. 3 with nearly $2.3 million in takings last week.