Chickens lay £28m golden egg

Chicken Run, the British clay-animated movie, is headeing for US blockbuster status.

Only 12 days after release, the film from the Wallace and Gromit creators has racked up more than £28 million, taking in almost £8.5 million over the holiday weekend preceding America's Fourth of July celebrations.

There were originally fears that its British humour and accents, which producers Peter Lord and Nick Park refused to soften, might turnoff American audiences.

"If word of mouth is what it appears to be," said analyst Dan Marks, "it has been a tremendous weekend."

But George Clooney proved to be the best revenge for the British with The Perfect Storm swamping Mel Gibson's controversial, The Patriot.

The Revolutionary War saga which has taken heat for its portrayal of the British opened a distant second to The Perfect Storm, surprising industry watchers.