300, Zack Snyder’s epic about the 480BC Battle of Thermopylae in which 300 Spartans held off an army of over 400,000 Persians for three days, has broken the US record for a March opening.

The film, based on Frank (Sin City) Miller’s graphic novel, took just over $70 million between Friday, March 9 and Sunday, March 11, 2007, including a massive opening day sum of $27.7 million on the Friday.

The box office haul means that the film, which was shot almost entirely on a backdrop of blue and green screens, has very nearly equalled its production costs in just three days.

More people went to see it than the rest of the top 10 combined during the weekend.

Distributor Warner Bros is naturally delighted with the figures, which mark the biggest opening weekend of the year to date and the third highest opening weekend for an R-rated movie ever (behind The Passion of the Christ and The Matrix Reloaded).

The figure is also the highest March opening ever, just ahead of last year’s family film, Ice Age: The Meltdown.

To celebrate the figures and to mark the fact that UK fans will be able to catch 300 when it opens in cinemas next week (March 23), we have a special clip to show you, accessible by clicking HERE

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