Puss In Boots Pounces On Competition, Tops Us Box Office


The Shrek spin-off Puss In Boots, starring Antonio Banderas as the eponymous hero, was the star attraction over the Halloween weekend, taking an estimated $34 million to top the US box office. As expected, the 3-D movie by DreamWorks pulled in the family audiences and easily secured the top spot.

According to the Press Association, the movie was also a hit with the Hispanic crowd, which made up 35 per cent of its audience. The final figure represents a new Halloween weekend record, leap-frogging the $33.6 million that horror flick Saw III recorded in 2006. In fact, Puss In Boots dominated the weekend's market, with the Justin Timberlake sci-fi movie 'In Time' debuting with just $12 million. Elsewhere, Johnny Depp's 'The Rum Diary' took just $5 million, although it expected to fare better in Europe once it hits cinemas later this month. It was in Europe that Steven Spielberg's 'Tintin' made a strong start, taking in an estimated $55.8 million and topping the box-office in 17 markets, including the United Kingdom where it took $10.7 million.

Puss In Boots also starring Salma Hayek and Zach Galifianakis follows the famous feline as he does battle with the murderous Jack and Jill, helped by his trusty sidekicks Humpty Dumpty and Kitty Softpaws. During an interview with Collider, Banderas discussed bringing his own laid back style to the character, saying, "Ten years ago, my kids were still kids, but now my oldest is 26, and he's got a rock band in Brooklyn. He just said to me, That's a cool cat, dad".