"300" racks up record body count at box office

By Dean Goodman

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Heads rolled at the weekend box office in North America as the blood-soaked ancient epic "300" slaughtered its foes in spectacular fashion.

The grim warrior tale sold an estimated $70 million worth of tickets during its first three days of release, setting a new record for a March release, the film's distributor Warner Bros. Pictures said on Sunday.

Heading into the weekend, the most bullish oracles had forecast an opening in the $50 million range. The special-effects extravaganza, with a largely unknown cast, cost in the mid-$60 million range to produce, the Time Warner Inc-owned studio said.

Scottish actor Gerard Butler stars as Leonidas, the hunky king of the Spartans, who leads 300 of his warriors to glorious death at the Battle of Thermopylae against a massive Persian army commanded by the fey king Xerxes (Brazilian actor Rodrigo Santoro). Zack Snyder ("Dawn of the Dead") directed the adaptation of comic book writer Frank Miller's graphic novel.

"300" earned largely positive reviews, despite or because of its myriad decapitations and balletic battlefield carnage. The last few chart-toppers, incumbent champ "Wild Hogs," "Ghost Rider" and "Norbit" were slammed by the critics.

FEMALE APPEAL

Audiences were "hungry to go to something that looks this unique," said Mark Canton, one of the film's producers.

Even though "300" is tailor-made for male moviegoers, it also rated highly with women, because the filmmakers enlarged the role of Leonidas' queen (played by Lena Headey) to make her a "true partner" of the king, Canton said.