Bond and Pirates break £50 million barrier

Spy and high-seas franchises join exclusive club

by Amber Wilkinson

Pirates Of The Carribbean: Dead Man's Chest and Casino Royale have muscled in to the top ten highest grossing UK box office films.

The films took more than £50 million each in 2006, according to the UK Film Council.

This puts them in an elite list, as only eight other films have ever broken the £50m barrier.

Casino Royale is also the most commercially successful Bond film to date - beating Die Another Day's total of £36m in just three weeks.

The top 20 UK films grossed more than £151m in box office receipts in 2006, with Casino Royale, Da Vinci Code, Flushed Away and The Queen among the most popular, alongside lower budget movies such as Ken Loach's The Wind That Shakes The Barley and Alan Bennet adaptation The History Boys.

UK Film Council chief executive officer John Woodward said: "British filmmakers make brilliant films which audiences flock to see, that's why Casino Royale jumped straight into the £50m club.

"Last year's most successful British films at the UK box office demonstrate the sheer range and style of film we can make, from high concept visual effects productions to films which reflect British culture and history."

The top 10 highest grossing films of all time at the UK box office are:

- £69,025,646

- £66,096,060

- £63,009,288

- £61,062,348

- £57,600,094

- £55,504,945

- £54,780,731

- £52,515,550

- £52,232,058

- £51,063,811

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