That bah-humbug chap The Grinch tried to ruin everyone's Christmas on the screen but ended up making the festive season a very happy one for Hollywood studio executives.

The film starring Jim Carrey as the green, mean Dr Seuss character debuted in early December and zoomed past the 200 million dollar mark in no time at all.

His performance helped the US box office 2000 total reach a new high for the ninth consecutive year. The take was a record 7.67 billion dollars, although admissions were down by 43 million.

In the UK the picture is different with admissions continuing to build from 1984's low of 58.4m to 1999's 140 million.

What America saw yesterday, the rest of us see today. Two movies that made end-of-year appearances in US cinemas are among the early arrivals on UK screens.

Cast Away (opening on January 12) sees Tom Hanks enduring desert island risks as a man who survives a plane crash but then has to endure a life alone on an unpopulated tropical island.

Helen Hunt is the girlfriend left high and dry at home - and she also stars in What Women Want (February 2), a screwball romance which finds Mel Gibson as a macho man who, after an unfortunate accident, is able to hear the thoughts of every woman around him.

Both movies have struck chords with US audiences and are certain to have the same reaction over here. Hanks and Gibson don't seem to be suffering the career crisis affecting other Hollywood's "old timers" like Stallone and Schwarzenegger.

The prospect of an industry strike in Hollywood has led studios to green light projects before they're ready and stars are fully booked for the year.

None of this should concern us on this side of the pond yet as there are plenty of good movies in the can ready for export.

Our own British film industry will hope to build on the international success of Billy Elliot but we shouldn't expect too much in the light of previous experience. For every good movie we make, there are half a dozen rotten ones (mostly gangster films) waiting to be released.

The year's only a week old and already we're welcoming a film, Ang Lee's Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon, that will figure on many top films of 2001 lists. Next week comes Cast Away, re-teaming Tom Hanks with Forrest Gump director Robert Zemeckis and a dead cert come Oscar time. Here are some others to watch out for.

Hannibal: Director Ridley Scott follows Gladiator by helming the Silence Of The Lambs sequel with Anthony Hopkins tucking in again as Hannibal Lecter with Julianne Moore stepping into Jodie Foster's shoes as FBI agent Clarice Starling.

Traffic: Newlyweds Michael Douglas and Catherine Zeta Jones feature in the latest from Steven Soderbergh, director of sex lies and videotape and Erin Brockovich. This thriller set in the world of drug trafficking is based on a C4 mini-series Traffik.

Pay It Forward: Tear-jerking drama with a gold-plated cast - Oscar winners Kevin Spacey and Helen Hunt plus The Sixth Sense kid Joel Haley Osmont - which received scathing reviews from US critics for being over manipulative.

Quills: Geoffrey Rush plays the Marquis De Sade in his later years when, locked away in an asylum, he continues writing dirty books. Kate Winslet's buxom laundress helps him smuggle out his manuscripts until sour-faced doctor Michael Caine puts his foot down.

Pearl Harbor: This recreation of the Japanese Second World War attack is one of the most expensive movies ever made, budgeted at $135m and counting. In charge are the Armageddon team of producer Jerry Bruckheimer and director Michael Bay. The cast is led by Ben Affleck and Josh Hartnett so presumably the money was spent on effects not actors.

Tomb Raider: Angelina Jolie, fresh from winning an Oscar in Girl Interrupted and stealing cars in Gone In Sixty Seconds, flexes her muscles in the live action feature inspired by the interactive video character Lara Croft.

Harry Potter And The Philosopher's Stone: A film version was inevitable given the popularity of J K Rowling's books but is American Home Alone and Mrs Doubtfire director Chris Columbus the best person to do it? Newcomer Daniel Radcliffe dons Harry's specs as the star.

Captain Corelli's Mandolin: This screen version of the best-selling novel set on a small Greek island during the Second World War has class written all over it. Director John Madden, making his first movie since the Oscar-winning Shakespeare In Love, has a cast led by Nicolas Cage, Christian Bale and hot new Hollywood actress Penelope Cruz.

The Mummy Returns: No let up in sequels with Brendan Fraser and Rachel Weisz keeping mum again as those bandaged baddies cause havoc. Also due: Jurassic Park 3 (without Spielberg directing) and Dr Dolittle 2.

Planet Of The Apes: The long-delayed remake of the old Charlton Heston sci-fi film finally gets off the ground with Tim Burton directing and Mark Wahlberg, the artist formerly known as Marky Mark, starring.

And finally, Lord Of The Rings: Not due until Christmas 2001 after a shoot that's lasted 18 months in New Zealand, mainly because director Peter Jackson has been shooting three films back-to-back. The cast includes Elijah Wood (as Frodo), Ian McKellen (as Gandalf) and Ian Holm (as Bilbo Baggins).

Top US movies in 2000

The Grinch

Mission: Impossible 2

Gladiator

The Perfect Storm

Meet The Parents

X-Men

Scary Movie

What Lies Beneath

Dinosaur

Erin Brockovich

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