300: Rise Of An Empire Throws Down

The Gauntlet At International And US Box Office

300 was something of an unexpected smash when it was released way back in 2006. With its combination of bombastic CGI gore, unappealing orgies, mutant Persians, and sword and sandal bromanace, it went on to make a record breaking 70.9million at the U.S Box Office in its first weekend.

It's unclear why it has taken 7 years for a sequel to rape and pillage its way onto our screens (maybe the fact that everyone except for the weird "would you fuck me? I'd fuck me" bad guy was brutally killed by the time the credits rolled had something to do with it) but here it is, and it's already doing the blood of its ancestors proud by topping the U.S Box Office with a 45.1million dollar haul.

You may have noticed that that's not quite as much as Zack Snyder's original managed take in, but Rise Of An Empire is twacking the original 300 about the head with the preverbial severed limb in the foreign markets, where it opened to a staggering 87.8mill Internationally.

Last week the utterly brilliant The Lego Movie was holding strong at the top of the Irish box office, with other kid friendly fair Mr Peabody And Sherman and Tinkerbell And The Pirate Fairy taking up spots in the Top Ten. Not much of a challenge for 300 Spartans then (or however many are in this one, a billion or something), but wait! Do I recall Liam Neeson in second place last week with Taken On A Plane, er, I mean, Non Stop?

Wear your rain gear to the cineplex, folks...there will be blood.

Written by Richard O Connell Source: The Guardian 09/03/14