"V" for Victory at US Box Office

THE FUTURISTIC terrorist thriller V For Vendetta blew up its rivals at the weekend box office in North America, according to studio estimates released yesterday.

The film, based on a comic book about a masked man who destroys landmark buildings in a fascist England, sold US$26.1 million worth of tickets across the United States and Canada in the three days beginning March 17.

The film's distributor, Time Warner Inc.-owned Warner Bros. Pictures, said the opening was broadly in line with expectations. Hugo Weaving stars as the masked man, V, and Natalie Portman as his sidekick.

It was produced by Larry and Andy Wachowski, the brothers who directed the Matrix movies, in which Weaving co-starred.

Top Ten list

1 V For Vendetta US$26.1m

2 Failure to Launch US$15.8m

3 The Shaggy Dog US$13.6m

4 She's The Man US$11.0m

5 The Hills Have Eyes US$ 8.1m

6 16 Blocks US$ 4.7m

7 Eight Below US$ 4.2m

8 Madea's Family Reunion US$ 3.0m

9 The Pink Panther US$ 2.5m

10 Aquamarine US$ 2.0m