'The Woman In Black' Is the Most Successful British Horror Film in 20 Years

By FNN | February 28, 2012, 12:58pm IST

Summary: James Watkins-directed flick beats other Brit frightners with $23 million-plus U.K. box office take.

LONDON - Daniel Radcliffe's first post-Harry Potter role in British horror flick The Woman In Black has helped scare up record breaking figures for a British fright flick.

The Hammer-produced film, directed by James Watkins and adapted by Jane Goldman from the classic novel by Susan Hill, has spent three weeks at number one in the U.K. boxoffice ringing up a total of £14.6 million ($23.2 million) from 457 screens.

The makers claim those figures make it the U.K.'shighest grossing British horror film since records began 20 years ago.

The movie has now scared up more box office lucre than Hollywood -backed productions shot in the U.K. with British talent including The Others (£11.9 million, $18.9 million), Bram Stoker's Dracula (£11.5 million, $18.2 million) and Interview with a Vampire (£10.7 million, $17 million), as well as home-grown horrors such as Shaun Of The Dead (£6.7 million, $10.6 million) and 28 Days Later (£6.3 million, $10 million).

Hammer CEO and president Simon Oakes described the box office bonanza for the film as "an important achievement that affirms the re-birth of Hammer."

Hammer is developing a slate of genre films including The Quiet Ones and Gaslight, "both of which will shoot in the U.K.," Oakes said.

Xavier Marchand, president of worldwide distribution, Alliance Films and managing director Momentum Pictures, said with The Woman in Black occupying the number one spot in the U.K. for three weeks and its performance stateside that has seen it take more than $50 million, it indicates how British films "can resonate not only here in the U.K. but also abroad."

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