Will Smith jumps straight to top of box office

17/01/2007 02:24

LONDON (Reuters) - "The Pursuit of Happyness," in which Will Smith appears with his own son Jaden, jumped straight to the top of the box office on its opening weekend, Screen International said on Tuesday.

Smith’s acclaimed portrayal of a salesman in early 1980s San Francisco trying to prove himself by becoming a broker took 2.5 million pounds.

It knocked into second place "Night at the Museum," Ben Stiller’s portrayal of a bemused guard at a natural history museum where the exhibits come to life at night. It had enjoyed two weeks at the top.

New at three was gangster comedy "Smokin’ Aces," the tale of a race to rub out Buddy "Aces" Israel who has agreed to turn state’s evidence against the Las Vegas mob.

Unchanged at four was "Miss Potter," the biography of children’s author Beatrix Potter, as portrayed by Renee Zellweger.

Coming in at five for the first time was the Oscar-tipped Forest Whitaker as former Ugandan dictator Idi Amin in "The Last King of Scotland, a role which won him the best actor in a film drama category in Monday’s Golden Globe awards.

Down one place at six was James Bond blockbuster "Casino Royale" while down four places at seven was "Apocalypto," the Mayan adventure epic directed by Mel Gibson.

Biggest faller of .....continued below

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the week, down from second to eighth, was "Employee of the Month," a comedy starring Dane Cook and Jessica Simpson in which employees of a bulk retailer compete for the honour of having their photos on the company’s wall of fame.

Ninth, down from six were the dancing penguins of "Happy Feet," with horror movie "White Noise 2: The Light" at 10 down from seventh.

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