December 17, 2008

Mamma Mia!: Titanic's U.K. Record Run Aground


Meryl Streep has sunk the Titanic in international waters.

The unflagging cheerfulness of ABBA conquered the red-hot chemistry between Leo and Kate this week as Mamma Mia! nudged aside the 11-time Oscar winner as the top-grossing film of all time at the U.K. box office.

The light 'n fluffy musical, en route to earning $571.7 million worldwide, has taken in $107.7 million across the pond after 22 weeks in theaters. Titanic held the record for 10 years after bagging 69 million pounds (about $107.5 million in today's currency) in 1998.

"Mamma Mia! is pure escapism, proving a fun and inexpensive way to forget about the state of the economy for a couple of hours," Universal Pictures International president David Kosse said Tuesday, calling the film a "true phenomenon."

DVD sales also went through the roof, with the jaunty romantic comedy sellling 1.7 million copies its first day out.

But not to worry: Titanic's record of $1.8 billion in global ticket sales will go on... and on.

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