Helicopter Prison Break

.

The director of a maximum-security prison and two of his colleagues resigned Monday after two inmates escaped by helicopter.

The Greek minister of justice, Nicholas Dendias, said he had asked for and received the resignations of the director, security secretary and head of inspection and control at Korydallos Prison, in a suburb of Athens.

"The government will not tolerate the current situation," he said in a written statement. "Those involved in this escape will be brought to justice and punished."

The escape played out like a Hollywood action film.

It began around Sunday afternoon, when two men hijacked a helicopter from Athens International Airport and ordered the pilot to fly to the prison.

The helicopter hovered over the roof of a prison compound where inmates Vassilis Paleokostas, 42, and Alket Riza, 34, were located. Rope ladders were unfurled and the prisoners climbed into the helicopter and escaped, the Justice Ministry said.

Prison guards shot at the helicopter during the escape, witnesses told local media. There were no reports of injuries.

The pilot was found gagged near the helicopter north of Athens, a state-run media report said.

.

The prison break by helicopter is the second from the prison for Paleokostas, who was convicted for abducting a businessman and escaped the first time in June 2006. He was recaptured several months later and returned to the prison.

.

Investigators searched for the inmates and unidentified accomplices Sunday.

On Monday, the justice minister announced the resignation of Leonidas Karampekiou, the prison director; Foti Vlachou, the security secretary there, and Apostolos Economou, the head of inspection and control at the prison.

Cairo bombing

.

The weekend bombing in one of the Egyptian capital's busiest tourist districts was not orchestrated by any known extremist group, state-run media reported.

Instead, security officials believe the blast -- which killed a French tourist and injured 24 other people Sunday -- likely was carried out by a few individuals with "extremist thoughts," according to Egypt's official Al-Ahram newspaper Monday.

The wounded were mainly Europeans, including 17 French nationals and a German. Three Saudis and three Egyptians -- including a soldier and a boy -- also were hurt in the explosion.

Al-Ahram reported that government security agencies were conducting a wide investigation into all extremist groups and cells in the Cairo area.

The explosion occurred during the height of the evening rush at 6:30 p.m. (11:30 a.m. ET) in an area of coffee shops located near the Al Hussein Mosque, one of Cairo's largest.

The bomb was left under a marble bench, authorities told the newspaper.

.

An undetonated bomb was found near the mosque, which sits close to an entrance of the Khan el-Khalili bazaar, a huge market and a tourist attraction, officials said.

.

Authorities said both bombs contained black explosive power, pieces of iron and some rock, the newspaper reported.

Lost hero Amundsen's plane

.

Norway's navy announced on Monday that it will help search for the missing plane of 20th century explorer Roald Amundsen, more than 80 years after his death.

The search -- scheduled for later this year -- will focus on a 40 square-mile (104 square-kilometer) area of the Arctic Ocean where researchers believe Amundsen's plane crashed in 1928.

Story Highlights

*Unmanned submarine to be used in search for Roald Amundsen's plane
*Amundsen's plane crashed in 1928 while he was on a rescue mission to North Pole
*Amundsen first to reach South Pole; credited with being first to both poles
*Search due to begin later this year

.

"If there is something down there, we will find it," said senior Commander Frode Loeseth told CNN.

Loeseth said they will be concentrating on finding the plane's wreckage, and do not expect to find any remains.

Amundsen, who is a national hero in Norway, led the first successful expedition to the South Pole from 1910 to 1912. He is also credited with being the first person to reach both the North and South Poles.

He went missing in June 1928 at the age of 55 while flying to the North Pole for a rescue operation.

The location of his disappearance "is one of the remaining unsolved mysteries in our time," a press release from the Norwegian Navy said.

Loeseth said the navy will participate in the search along with the Norwegian Aviation Museum; Kongsberg Maritime, a Norwegian maritime technology company; and Context TV, a German TV production company that will document the operation.

The search is scheduled to begin the last week of August.

There have been several attempts to find the location of Amundsen's crash, most recently in 2004. But this time Norway's navy will be able to scour the depths of the Arctic Ocean with a submarine, named after a character in Norse mythology.

"We have one special tool -- Hugin -- that is a state-of-the-art submarine, unmanned, and can search for 18 hours," the commander said.

Hugin is the mythological raven that traveled around Earth and informed the Norse god, Odin, of what happened that day.

Loeseth said the navy has had the unmanned submarine for some time, but the one that will be used in the search is the Hugin 1000, a "newly modified and upgraded" model.

Loeseth would not say how much the operation was expected to cost, or which organization was funding the bulk of the search.

He stressed that the partners have an agreement and a budget, and Norwegian taxpayers will not be paying for any part of the search.

He said Amundsen's relatives support the project. He noted that it has been five years since the last search for Amundsen's wreckage because "it takes time to raise funding for such projects."

SAG board turns down 'final offer' from Hollywood studios

.

The board of the Screen Actors Guild rejected the "last, best and final offer" by producers Saturday night, continuing a months-long deadlock over contract talks.

The two sides have been trying to hammer out a deal to resolve a labor dispute that threatens to shut down production of many movies and television shows.

The guild, considered Hollywood's biggest actors' union, and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) appeared close to a deal earlier this week. SAG said it agreed to concede on the amount actors should be paid when their movies or TV shows are distributed on discs or through "new media," such as mobile phones and the Internet.

However, talks stalled Saturday night over another sticking point: The AMPTP insists that a new contract between the two sides start from the time it is ratified and continue for three years.
The guild wants the new contract to take effect, starting from the time the last one expired on June 30.

The distinction is an important one for SAG. A three-year deal would mean that SAG's contract would expire a year after that of the other guilds, such as the writers' and directors' guilds.

It would also prevent SAG from joining the other unions when it came time to renegotiate with AMPTP two years from now.

"What management presented as a compromise is, in fact, an attempt to separate Screen Actors Guild from other industry unions," SAG's board said in a statement after 73 percent of them voted to reject the offer.

"By attempting to extend our contract expiration on year beyond the other entertainment unions, the AMPTP intends to deleverage our bargaining position from this point onward," it said.

The studio alliance issued their own statement after the talks faltered, saying, "We have kept our offer on the table -- and even enhanced it -- despite the historically unprecedented economic crisis that has clobbered our nation and our industry."

"We simply cannot offer SAG a better deal than the rest of the industry achieved under far better economic conditions than those now confronting our industry," the AMPTP said.

Terminally-ill reality TV star Jade Goody marries

.

British reality TV star Jade Goody married Sunday after being told by doctors last week that her cancer is terminal.

Goody, 27 tied the knot with boyfriend Jack Tweed, 21, in Hatfield Heath, Essex, east of London, UK media reported.

Highlights
Publicist: Couple receive standing ovation, lots of tears, laughter, smiles.

British 'Big Brother' star fast-tracked plans to get married after cancer spread.

Shetty says she was invited to ceremony but unable due to film commitments.

Charities report marked increase in public seeking details about condition.

.

After the ceremony Max Clifford, the couple's publicist, told waiting reporters that there had been "lots of tears and smiles and laughter" and that the congregation gave the newlyweds a standing ovation after the signing of the register.

Goody sprung to fame in "Big Brother" in 2002, going on to launch a range of her own products and host TV shows.

But her return to the celebrity edition of the show in 2007 ended in international ignominy, after her taunting of Indian Bollywood star Shilpa Shetty. Goody's behavior resulted in more than 40,000 complaints and sparked protests in India.Shetty said last week that she was unable to attend the wedding due to filming commitments but was praying for Goody.

In August 2008 Goody appeared on the Indian version of "Big Brother," only to fly home after she was diagnosed with cervical cancer.

News of Goody's condition has sparked massive interest in the UK, both from the media -- which bid for rights to her story -- and among the public, who have contacted charities for information about cervical cancer.

Critics have attacked Goody's decision to sell rights to what may be her final weeks, although the star has told British media that she wants to leave her children by a previous relationship -- sons, Bobby, five, and Freddie, four -- financially secure.

But Clifford told ITN: "Ironically, a big part of what she's doing now is to fund her children's education. To give them the education she never had."

Charity Cancer Research UK said in a statement earlier this month that daily visits to its Web site had increased two- to three-fold since news of Goody's illness was announced.

'Madea Goes to Jail' wins big at the box office

..If anybody had a reason to doubt whether Tyler Perry has become one of the most bankable brands in all of movies, be skeptical no longer.

The domestic dramedy maestro's latest release, Tyler Perry's "Madea Goes to Jail," ran away with a big victory on the typically slow Academy Awards weekend, grossing a hefty $41.1 million, according to early estimates from Media by Numbers.

That opening sum is the biggest of all time for a Tyler Perry film, besting the $30 million debut of 2006's "Madea's Family Reunion." Too, it's the top bow in the history of indie studio Lionsgate, improving upon all the Tyler Perry and "Saw" flicks that came before it. The movie's per-theater average of $20,236 ranks in the top 40 for all wide openers ever.

And, no surprise, "Madea Goes to Jail" achieved all this success with a solid A CinemaScore grade from a crowd that included mostly older women.

Second place went to "Taken," which added another $11.4 million to its four-week tally, bringing said total to $95.2 million. Fellow strong holdover "Coraline" (No. 3) was next with $11 million.

"He's Just Not That Into You" (No. 4) declined a sharp 56 percent to bank $8.5 million on its third weekend. And Best Picture favorite "Slumdog Millionaire" rounded out the top five with $8.1 million -- a sum that brings its domestic total to $98 million.

Mike Myers, Paris Hilton big 'winners' at Razzies

.

It was a night for neon pink bow ties and words like "disaster" and "monstrosity." It was not the night, however, to be Paris Hilton, Mike Myers or Uwe Boll.

The 29th Annual Golden Raspberry Awards honored the worst film achievements of the year in a small theater in Hollywood on February 21. The night opened with a parody of the "Mamma Mia" song, "Dancing Queen," and ended with "Love Guru" being named worst picture.

"It wasn't just the economy that tanked, so did the qualities of the movies being offered," Razzie founder John Wilson told CNN several weeks before the show. "I would suggest putting away all sharp [instruments] before putting the DVDs in your machine."

Paris Hilton and Mike Myers came out on top -- or bottom -- for the awards. Hilton earned both the worst actress and worst supporting actress awards for her roles in "Hottie & the Nottie" and "Repo: The Genetic Opera." She was also awarded worst screen couple for her on-screen time with her co-stars Christine Lakin and Joel David Moore.

Razzie host Gretchen Enders said that "Hottie & the Nottie" was "a vanity production in the worst sense... Hilton, who served as executive producer, has no one to blame but herself."
Hilton's film had a budget of $2 million but only earned about $27,000 at the box office.

"Under Obama's new plan, they wouldn't even have to pay taxes," Wilson deadpanned.

A rich night for best picture 'Slumdog Millionaire'

.

"Slumdog Millionaire," the little film that overcame tremendous odds simply to earn an American release, won eight Oscars Sunday night at the 81st annual Academy Awards, including best picture.

"Most of all we had passion and we had belief, and our film shows if you have those two things, you have everything," said producer Christian Colson, surrounded by many members of the film's huge cast and crew.

It was a supremely unlikely success story.

.

"Millionaire," which combines elements of Bollywood melodrama and documentary grit, features no stars.

.
It's set largely among the poverty-stricken districts of Mumbai, India, and one-third of the film is in Hindi. Its initially reluctant director, Danny Boyle, is better known for brash British films such as "Trainspotting" and "28 Days Later." And the film almost went straight to DVD in America, thanks to the folding of initial studio Warner Independent Pictures (like CNN, it's a unit of Time Warner).

But the film's orphaned, poverty-raised hero, played by Dev Patel, overcomes his challenges to earn a spot on the game show "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire" -- not necessarily to win money, but to connect with his lost love. On the show, he's told that perhaps he is a figure of destiny.

"It is written," the show's smarmy host tells him, somewhat mockingly, after Patel's character aces several questions.

"Slumdog's" filmmakers were jubilant at the wins, which also included Oscars for best director (Boyle), best adapted screenplay (Simon Beaufoy), score (A.R. Rahman), cinematography (Anthony Dod Mantle), song, sound mixing and film editing.

Boyle jumped up and down as he accepted his award, saying he'd told his children that if he ever won, he'd bounce like Tigger from "Winnie-the-Pooh."

Rahman was equally appreciative.

"All my life I've had a choice between hate and love, and I chose love, and now I'm here," he said.

Music Oscar

Oscars snub Springsteen: WTF?!

The first thing that jumped out at me from this morning's Oscar nominations: The Best Original Song category has only three nominees. Two of those are from Slumdog Millionaire, which seems like a bit much. And none of them are Bruce Springsteen's brilliant, Golden Globe-winning title tune from The Wrestler, as some of you have already noted over at Annie's Oscar snubs post. For shame, Academy!

I can't figure out what's going on here. I don't think it's an eligibility issue, since The Wrestler itself got two acting nods. And aside from being totally great on its own terms, "The Wrestler" is an emotional ballad by a mainstream boomer icon -- just the kind of song you'd think would appeal to a ton of Academy members. (You can hear it below if you haven't yet.) It's certainly comparable to Springsteen's masterful "Streets of Philadelphia," which took home a Best Song Oscar in 1994. Even putting aside my love of the Boss, how bizarre of the Academy not to fill out this category with a full five nominees, as it's done in most previous years. Truthfully, the Oscars telecast needs compelling music performances far more than Bruce needs another statuette on his shelf. So the real losers here are all of us in the TV audience, wouldn't you say?

Sexism blatant

ShePop: And the Oscar for blatant sexism goes to ...

So Jessica Biel's the lucky lady who'll get to host the Oscars for Geeks -- a.k.a. the Scientific and Technical Awards -- this weekend, becoming part of a long, proud Academy tradition of actresses who kindly bestow their hotness on the less telegenic honorees as a sort of consolation prize for their being left out of the main event. Past years' presenters have included the gorgeous Salma Hayek, Jessica Alba, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Rachel McAdams, and Jennifer Garner. (Think of it as the super-pretty-gal equivalent of the Miss Golden Globe honorary title that goes to celeb kids like Rumer Willis -- i.e., a relatively pointless exercise.) We like pretty ladies, too -- and certainly women watching the Oscars on TV won't complain about staring at host Hugh Jackman for a few hours -- but can't a dude once in a while take what's basically the Oscar equivalent of a weekend shift? Maybe even a dude with geek cred and a legit reason to be there, like J.J. Abrams or George Lucas? (Props to Richard Dreyfus, the last guy to host, way back in 1996. Maybe because he once co-starred with that awesome Jaws fin?) Presuming that won't happen, Katherine Heigl and Isla Fisher, get your Scientific and Technical Oscar gowns ready for next year...

What do you think, PopWatchers: Is having a hottie host for the technical awards sexism or just good fun? And who's the logical choice to snag this "honor" next year?

Fashion Oscar

Oscar fashion preview: White knots on the red carpet?

Could white knots -- worn to support marriage rights for gays and lesbians -- be the hot accessory at this year's Oscars? The symbol showed up at the Grammys, on the lapels of Foo Fighter Dave Grohl and former Eurythmics member Dave Stewart, sparking speculation that it could take off at the Academy Awards on Feb. 22 -- especially in the wake of recent outcries against California's Proposition 8 from celebs like Drew Barrymore, Jack Black, and Brad Pitt.

It certainly isn't hard to imagine the cast of Milk -- including Best Actor nominee Sean Penn -- jumping on board, along with gay-friendly celebs like Anne Hathaway and high-kicking host Hugh Jackman. Come to think of it, we wouldn't be all too surprised if actress-cum-activist Sharon Stone showed up at the show wearing three white knots...and nothing else.

What do you think, PopWatchers? Will white knots take off? And should stars make political statements on the red carpet, or just fashion ones?

Oscars 2009

YOU get to vote for the Oscars! Kinda!

With Oscars producers teasing that they're shaking up the ceremony this year, we're all waiting for details on just what that means. Turns out step one is a biggie: They're letting the public vote...for the dresses! (You didn't really think the Academy would turn over its precious precious voting power to us mere plebes, did you?)

Starting today, over at the Oscars site (warning: registration required) readers can vote for a dress that will be worn by the person who has the very important job of not dropping the golden statuette until it can be handed over to its rightful owner. (And technically, you're voting not just for the dress but the model who will get to do the presenting, too. How very Project Runway of the Academy!)

The seven nominated dresses (pictured after the jump) vary from standard to spectacular, and the designers range from up-and-comers to established names like Maria Pinto and Robert Rodriguez. Looking through the choices, it strikes me that some of these dresses -- like Marianne Kooimans' dramatically embroidered one-shouldered gown -- would be beautiful on a nominee, but just distracting on a trophy presenter. So, personally, I’m rooting for Maria Pinto's silver column gown, which is interesting enough that it’ll give me something to admire during the ceremony’s slow moments (I’m looking at you, PriceWaterhouseCoopers!) but not so captivating that it’ll detract from the tears that we can only hope Kate/Angelina/Anne will be shedding up there.

What do you think PopWatchers -– which of these dresses do you want to see on stage at the Oscars? Vote in our poll, after the jump, and then we'll see how PopWatchers' sartorial opinions stack up against the rest of the country's come Feb. 22!

Oscars 2009

Prince's Oscars after-party: You're so not invited

There is an entire circuit of Hollywood Oscar after-parties, but there is only one after-after-Oscar party that can transform the industry's biggest stars into gawking fans. Prince will be hosting another hyper-exclusive wee-hours bash at his Beverly Hills residence, according to E!’s Marc Malkin. The main attraction? The host himself. Last year, he jammed with Stevie Wonder and John Legend. This year? Who knows? But an exclusive guest list will certainly be mixing some Red Bull with their champagne in order to last the entire evening (last year’s living room musical performance didn’t start until 1:30 a.m.). Will other post-Oscar party hosts feel compelled to perform as well? If so, sneak out the back of Vanity Fair’s annual shindig before Graydon Carter takes the mic.

Where would an evening at Prince's rank among your hypothetical Oscar-party experiences? (My Top 3: Springsteen strumming guitar over beers while talking John Ford movies; being the 14th Ocean's co-star at a George Clooney soiree; dancing with Penélope Cruz.)

Art Auctions

Art auctions hit further problems

Munch's Vampire bucked the trend by selling for $38.1m (£24.2m) on Monday

Works of Impressionist and Modern art have again struggled at auction in New York, with nearly half of pieces at a Christie's sale going unsold.

Some 46% of 82 works on sale at Thursday's auction - including two Picassos - were not sold. The auction fell $100m (£63.4m) short of estimates.

Two other auctions in the city this week have suggested that modern art is being hit by the financial downturn.

A third of 128 lots across two separate auctions on Wednesday failed to sell.
'Reduced level'

Christie's honorary chairman Christopher Burge said that the millions of dollars still taken in "this climate of financial turmoil" suggested "there is still a great deal of money left for the art market".

But he said the outcome of Thursday's auction was "obviously a reduced level and we have to recognise that".

Rothko's No 43 (Mauve) did not sell at Christie's on Wednesday

"Obviously, in the future we will have to lower estimates," Mr Burge added.

Strong prices were achieved for a few of the 82 works - including $20.8m (£13.2m) for Juan Gris's Livre, Pipe et Verres, $18m (£11.4m) for Picasso's Deux Personnages and $16.9m (£10.7m) for Kandinsky's Studie zu Improvisation 3.

But for a number of lots, bids did not come close to matching reserves.

This was the case with the two unsold Picassos - one which was estimated to fetch between $15m (£9.5m) and $20m (£12.7m), and another which was estimated to fetch between $10m (£6.4m) and $15m.

On Wednesday, Mark Rothko's No 43 (Mauve) - expected to fetch up to $30m (£18.8m) - failed to find a buyer at the Modern Age sale at Christie's.

Also on Wednesday, there were no bids at Sotheby's in New York for Alexei Petrovich Bogoliubov's View of St Petersburg, which was estimated to fetch $3m (£1.9m).

But despite recent problems, a rare Edvard Munch masterpiece sold for $38.1m (£24.2m) at Sotheby's on Monday, breaking a record for the artist's work.

Middle East Art

In pictures: Middle East art

The Saatchi Gallery's new show, Unveiled: New Art From the Middle East, opens on Friday in London. Shadi Ghadirian's untitled piece, from the Like Everyday series, features among the works.

The exhibition showcases work by more than 20 contemporary artists from the region, including several paintings by Iranian-American artist Tala Madani.

"Cutting edge" painting, sculpture and installations from the "flourishing contemporary Arabic art scene" adorn the Chelsea gallery, such as The Tower of Infinite Problems, by Diana Al-Hadid.

Qalandia, by artist Wafa Hourani, takes its name from a well known Israeli military checkpoint in the West Bank.

In WshhWshh, artist Nadia Ayari portrays two women dressed in burkas sharing a secret to heighten the "mysteries and fascination" surrounding the veil.

Beirut Caoutchouc is a large black rubber mat in the shape of Beirut's current map, by artist Marwan Rechmaoui.

Tom Jones grey hairstyle

Tom Jones reveals grey hairstyle

Tom Jones, 68, shows off his natural hair colour

It's not unusual to think of Welsh superstar Sir Tom Jones with jet black hair - but the 68-year-old singer has finally revealed his new greyer look.

Pontypridd-born Sir Tom showed off his more natural style in his hair and beard at a Polish TV awards show.

The veteran star behind such hits as Delilah, Green Green Grass of Home and Sex Bomb, unveiled the new colour to fans at the ceremony.

The singer told reporters: "It's the music that keeps me alive."

He was at the awards ceremony to promote his new album.

Clint Eastwood's Gran Torino

Eastwood drama tops US box office

Gran Torino is Eastwood's 33rd time in the director's chair

Clint Eastwood's Gran Torino has topped the US box office, taking around $29m (£19.3m) in its opening weekend.

The drama, about an ageing Korean war veteran who takes on a street gang, has set a new record for the 78-year-old actor and director.

His previous best opening weekend was science fiction comedy Space Cowboys, which made $18m in 2000.

Gran Torino has earned over $40m (£26.7m) since a limited opening release last month.

Despite praise from the critics, the film has been largely ignored this awards season so far, missing out on a Golden Globe with just one nomination for best original song.

But Eastwood's fortunes could be about to change with Academy Awards voters' nominations ballots due on Tuesday.

This week's second highest entry was Bride Wars, starring Anne Hathaway and Kate Hudson as duelling brides-to-be, on $21.5m (£14.3m), followed by the modestly budgeted supernatural thriller The Unborn, at number three with $21.1m (£14.1m).

The drama Not Easily Broken made its debut at number nine with $5.6m (£3.7m), opening in just 724 cinemas.

Last week's number one movie Marley & Me, starring Jennifer Aniston and Luke Wilson, fell to number four with $11.4m (£7.6m).

Vampire Assault

Cop film arrests vampire assault

Kevin James co-wrote and co-produced the movie

Comedy Paul Blart: Mall Cop has fended off the vampires and werewolves of Underworld: Rise of the Lycans to stay top of the North American film chart.

The film, starring Kevin James as a security guard who fights thieves, took $21.5m (£15.7m) in its second weekend.

The third instalment of the Underworld series, starring Briton Michael Sheen, landed in second place with $20.7m (£15.1m) on its debut.

Clint Eastwood drama Gran Torino dropped from second into third.

'Oscar bump'

The movie, which took $16m (£11.7m), tells the story of an ageing Korean war veteran who takes on a street gang.

Hotel for Dogs rose one place to four, taking $12.4m (£9.1m), while Slumdog Millionaire, nominated for 10 Oscars on Thursday, climbed from 10th to fourth, taking $10.6m (£7.7m).

Inkheart, starring Brendan Fraser as a bookbinder who can read characters out of books and into real life, opened in seventh place with $7.7m (£5.6m).

And The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, which has earned 13 Oscar nods, re-entered the top 10, taking $6m (£4.4m).

Box office analysts Media By Numbers said Slumdog Millionaire and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button had benefited from an "Oscar bump".

Director Paul Dergarabedian said: "This lays to rest the argument that Oscar nominations can't help out your box office numbers."

Mall Cop Thriller

Neeson thriller topples Mall Cop

Liam Neeson's character is looking for a gang of kidnappers

Liam Neeson thriller Taken has ended the reign of comedy Paul Blart: Mall Cop at the top of the North American box office chart.

The CIA thriller made $24.6m (£17.3m) in its debut weekend, helping towards $1bn January takings for the first time in US cinema history.

Other new entries included The Uninvited, a remake of a South Korean thriller, at number three.

British Oscar hope Slumdog Millionaire was in sixth place.

The Mumbai-based film is moving into a wider release in the US, and has made a total of $67m (£47.1m) after 12 weeks in cinemas.

The movie's director, Danny Boyle, won top prize from the Director's Guild of America over the weekend.

Clint Eastwood's film Gran Torino, which was overlooked in the Oscar nominations, has now made more than $110m (£77.4m) to become the actor-director's highest-grossing film to date.

US box office returns in January were up more than 20% compared with the first month of 2008, while numbers of cinema-goers rose by 16%.

Paul Dergarabedian, president of box office analysts Media By Numbers, said: "I think people feel movies are a good value for their dollar. Going to a movie is a habit people aren't willing to break."

"This is exactly how you want to start a year," he added.